The Fall of The Phoenix
by IfIOnlyWereAWeasley
Summary: On hiatus until further notice. Will be completed in the future, but will be rewritten, so it will be necessary to reread the older chapters before moving on to the new. The plot will be the same, but there will be major restructuring. If you choose to read before then, do so knowing that it's inconsistent and incomplete.
1. The Beginning of The End

**The Beginning Of The End**

* * *

Our childhood was supposed to be everything our parents' weren't.

Happy.

Peaceful.

Long.

Safe.

Our parents, veterans fresh from war, had quickly settled down, getting married, finding jobs, having children. They believed that a peaceful new era was upon us.

Everyone did.

Life settled down, people learned to relax. Coming home with plans to find the lights out and the house seemingly empty now meant a surprise party, not a Death Eater attack. Hearing a scream late at night meant a colicky baby, not Lord Voldemort walking through your front door. People began to trust again, and soon enough most people could hardly even remember what it was like to live during a war. Most people began to forget anything outside of their supposed "Golden Age".

That's where it all started to go wrong.

My Aunt Hermione came home one day, two summers before my first year at Hogwarts, saying the new Minister had gone mental.

They were releasing a few "minor Death Eaters", saying that, "while they will most certainly be watched very carefully, it is in the name of the law and the honor of the Ministry to offer forgiveness and mercy".

A few Death Eaters turned into many, and soon the already blurred line between "minor" and "major" disappeared completely.

We're not really sure when people began to realize that the Minister's choices had passed the point of being questionable, to being totally and completely insane. It took much longer that it should have, for people were very, very unwilling to recognize that their wonderful "Golden Age" was not quite what it had cracked up to be.

Seeing as the wizarding population of Britain had just escaped war, one would think that they would jump defend their world at the first sign of foul play, but the realization that their Minister was releasing the people they had worked so hard to lock up hardly caused a ripple in their every day life.

The "ripple" was subtle. People began speaking in hurried whispers, glancing about to make sure they weren't about to be overheard. Redoing wards that never really should have been undone around their homes. Trusting a little less. Teaching their children to be a bit more suspicious, something they hadn't done in the past because they had just assumed, or maybe hoped, that they wouldn't ever need to. Many cringed at the obvious foul play, but cringed even further from the idea of actually doing something about it.

For actually doing something about it would make it real, would mean that the "Golden Age" was not meant to be.

No one really thought it would get this bad.

Many who hadn't actually fought in the war were a bit cocky. After all, last time was as bad as it got, right? They, and they all seemed to forget that this "they" didn't actually include themselves, had defeated Lord Voldemort. They had killed Bellatrix Lestrange and Fenrir Greyback, and they had locked up all the remaining members of Voldemort's inner circle. They had been through the worst, seen the worst, and beaten it.

And they had Harry bloody Potter, for Merlin's sake.

What's the worst that could happen, they asked.

They got their answer.


	2. Frankie First Years

**Author's note: So this is my first fanfiction. This story will be told mainly from Phoenix's point of view, but may occasionally change point of view in order to further explain something, or to add more depth to a character.**

 **Now, for clarification:**

 **Teddy is the eldest; this story begins in Phoenix's first year, when Teddy is 16 and in his 6th year at Hogwarts.**

 **Victoire is the second eldest; at the beginning of this story she is 15 and in her 5th year.**

 **Molly (the second) and Dominique are 13 and in their 3rd year.**

 **Jay Wood, son of Oliver and Alicia Wood, is 12 and in his 2nd year.**

 **Fred (the second), Roxanne, James Sirius, Phoenix and Lucy are all 11 and will be first years.**

 **Louis, Scorpius, Rose and Albus Severus are all 10, and will be attending Hogwarts next year.**

 **Lily Luna and Hugo are 9 and will be attending in two years.**

 **I'm not sure if the differences in ages are as J.K. Rowling wrote, but this will be how I'm writing them in my story.**

 **I'm sorry to say, no matter how much I wish otherwise; I do not own Harry Potter, therefor anything you recognize belongs to the talented J.K. Rowling.**

* * *

 **Frankie First Years**

* * *

I'll never understand the wizarding world's obsession with my family.

I get that my parents and my aunts and uncles helped save the world and defeated the darkest wizard of the age, so I understand the fascination with them, but I don't understand how it extends to the rest of us.

My brothers, my sister, my cousins, and I were famous before we had even been born. There were polls on guessing our gender, or birthdays. Then when we were actually born, it was announced, full page, blazing headline, across the front page of the newspaper, possibly with a picture if they could manage.

Then there were polls on our future houses, whether or not we would play Quidditch, how we would wear our hair, just anything they could think of really. They once wrote an entire article because a reporter had overheard my mum saying Al's first word was 'broom'.

Many people would say that we're incredibly lucky, as though the entire world knowing and watching everything we've ever done is a blessing. As though being thrust into a spotlight at birth is the thing of dreams. As though being forever marked as "children of the leaders of the light" didn't paint a very large target on our backs, were ever another dark lord to rise again.

* * *

"Dad, can I please go to Hogwarts this year? Please?" My brother Albus Severus Potter begged our father.

"No Al," my Dad laughed, "you're still too young. You can go next year though, with Rosie and Lou."

Teddy Lupin-Potter laughed along with Dad, before reaching out to ruffle our youngest brother's hair. "Don't worry Al, it'll be here before you know it."

"Yeah," James Sirius, my idiot twin brother, said suddenly, "then you'll be wishing you could go back to when you weren't a nasty Slytherin."

 **"** I will NOT be in Slytherin!"

"Will too Ssseverusss," James laughed, drawing out the 's' like Slytherin's famous mascot.

"Shut up!"

"Alright that's enough!" Both boys shrank back as our mother suddenly entered their argument. Behind her, Teddy, my sister Lily, my Dad, and I were also backing away from the scary woman. "I will not have you two arguing right now! Albus, your brother is about to leave for Hogwarts, please wish him goodbye, _without arguing._ And James, don't think I won't stop you from getting on that train, you will apologize to Albus _right now_ and if I hear about you speaking of other houses like that in school we will bring you _straight home_ and you won't be returning until after Lily and Hugo graduate. _Do you understand_?"

Both boys nodded silently, before turning and stuttering out an apology and a goodbye, adding a hug for good measure. Mum, appeased, turned and gave Teddy and I kisses on the cheek.

"You know Mum, you're a bit scary," Teddy laughed nervously.

Ginny Potter threw back her head and laughed. You couldn't help but admire my Mum. Even though lately it had been harder to get a smile or laugh out of her, she's _always_ drop-dead gorgeous. Even when she goes into Grandma Weasley mode and screams at us kids.

"Now, all of you be good, no detentions, no pranks. I don't want a single letter from that school unless it's saying you got voted best student or something. Keep up with your studies, and remember to have fun," She ordered.

"Jeez Mum, you sound like Aunt Hermione," Teddy tried to joke, before shrinking back from Mum's glare.

"Gin, is that 'Mione and Ron now?" Dad asked suddenly, craning his neck to see over the crowd.

"Yes I think so, oh look at poor Hermione, she seems a bit flustered with both kids, and Ron's talking to Malfoy, this doesn't look good. Ah my idiot brother's going at it with Malfoy again, I thought were all adults now. Well I guess Ronald won't ever grow up. Harry I'm going to knock some sense into the moron, sorry kids, you just stay here and watch the kids okay?" With that she strode off before giving Dad a chance to respond.

"Well we all know who wears the pants in this family," Teddy said jokingly.

"Shut up or I'll leave you lot to your Mother's rules this year." Dad said with mock-seriousness. "Now, if you do something to get in trouble, write me and I'll decide whether we need to tell your Mum or not. She's a bit stressed right now, but really we both just want you to enjoy your year, maybe learn a bit. We want you to be able to do all the things we didn't get to."

"Oh Dad, we all know you didn't get to learn, don't worry though, we'll all learn from your mistakes," Teddy teased.

"Alright, you asked for it!" Dad lunged forward and grabbed Teddy in a headlock. We were all still laughing when Mum, Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron walked up, looking grave. Dad opened his mouth, presumably to ask what was wrong, when Uncle Bill and Aunt Fleur rushed up, dragging their children behind them. Uncle Percy and his family quickly followed, then it was Uncle George and his, and soon we had nearly the entire Weasley brood gathered around.

"It's not true. Say it isn't." Uncle Percy demanded.

Uncle Ron just shook his head. "I just got done speaking with bloody Malfoy. Its true."

Uncle Bill swore.

The fact that not a single one of my Aunts tried to scold either of them was very worrying. Aunt Hermione and Aunt Fleur did not approve of swearing.

"Alright, what's going on?" Dad demanded.

"Kingsley Shacklebolt's just been declared missing. Rumor has it his house is trashed, a weird symbol carved into the door. Malfoy just confirmed it."

Dad grew very pale, and even us children understood how bad this was. We had been told war stories, and in them Kingsley Shacklebolt was always painted a hero, a seasoned fighter whose skill could "very nearly rival Mad-Eye Moody's". The image was further helped along every time we met him in the past, for we could see that underneath the friendly exterior lay a very powerful wizard. If Kingsley was gone something was very wrong.

Suddenly the train whistle blew, reminding us where we were.

Family members were immediately bustling around, kissing any child they could get their hands on, including a few who weren't actually leaving for Hogwarts. Then we were all shoved onto the train, the younger ones who tried to sneak on yanked back off again, and we all smashed into one compartment, climbing over its previous occupant with muttered apologies, to wave goodbye to our parents. We waved until we could no longer see them, then, one by one my family members drifted out, for prefects meetings, hiding from a boy, and finding friends, until it was just us first years and the compartment's original, glaring, occupant.

"Erm…hi?" Fred said nervously.

"Do you lot even realize-" the boy started angrily, but I cut him off suddenly as I got a good look at the book in his hand.

"Oh my Godric, is that a _signed_ copy of _Oliver Wood's Quidditch Tips_? Can I _please_ see it, my Dad's always going on about how he knew him in school but we've only met him a few times and I'm a huge fan and-"

This time I was the one getting cut off as the boy scoffed and shoved the book at me. "Here, you can keep the bloody book, I'll just get dad to send me another one, now would you mind _getting out now_?"

I stared at him blankly. Behind me I heard Fred mutter, "Oh Merlin," and James say something about getting comfortable. I was far too busy trying to breathe to respond to their jibes, or the boy's rude tone.

"You-you're Oliver Wood's _son_? The Oliver Wood? Oh Merlin…"

Wood looked irritated and started muttering about "bloody fan girls" when I heard James' voice from behind me.

"Jeez Phoenix, you sound like old people when they meet Mum or Dad!"

Suddenly it was Wood's turn to look shocked as he glanced from me to my brother and cousins, then to the door most of our family members had just walked out of. Then he looked back at me again open-mouthed.

"Like a switch that's been flipped," I heard Fred mutter behind me, before he and James snickered. I then heard two twin slaps as Roxy and Lucy smacked them upside the head.

In front of me, Wood was finally regaining use of his tongue, "You're Harry and Ginny Potter's daughter?" I nodded. "Merlin. My parents talk about them as well, but I didn't think that I'd ever meet their daughter…wait, I read in the Prophet that you beat your mum in Quidditch. Is that true?"

"Oh yeah, well I mean it was only a backyard game," I was trying as hard as I could to be modest, but I couldn't help but start to grin, "still the proudest moment of my life though!" I laughed.

"Yeah, really that's unbelievable, it said you were _ten_."

"Yeah, she was pretty proud," I laughed.

"Your mum's a legend though-"

"So are your parents! Merlin I went to one of your mum's games last year-"

"The one against the Chudley Cannons? Yeah that was brilliant, the Cannons didn't score a goal the whole game!"

"Yeah, my Uncle Ron was so disappointed! Your mum scored nearly every goal her team made though!"

"Alright, we get it, you're both Quidditch nuts, now if you don't mind, Phoenix we actually have something rather important to discuss," Fred said, giving me a meaningful look. Shoot, Kingsley. I had nearly forgotten.

"Right, well it was great meeting you Wood, maybe we'll see you at the feast? Thank you so much for the book by the way, I don't know how I'll ever make it up to you!" I yelled as Fred and James marched me away. I got one last glimpse of Wood, chuckling and reaching for a new book, before we moved further along the corridor.

We had to search for a while, but we finally we found an open compartment and filed in, James shutting the door behind us.

The smiles immediately dropped off our faces.

"This is bad, really bad."

* * *

 **Jay Wood's Point of View:**

* * *

My mum had once told me, during a discussion about the Potters, that upon meeting their children she had thought that their adoptive son Teddy was just like his real father, Remus Lupin, James was the perfect reincarnation of Sirius Black, Albus, his father, and Lily, a little bit of each, as well as her mum. Teddy was polite and thoughtful, James was a prankster, Albus was shy and loving, and Lily was sweet, but every bit as fiery and mischievous as the rest of them. But it was Phoenix Potter, she had told me, who was truly the cocktail of personality and traits. She looked like her grandmother, Lily Potter, with leaf green eyes and deep red hair, and even at her young age it was clear she would grow to be a true beauty. She was charming, my mother said, both nearly bursting with excitement at meeting " _the Oliver and Alicia Wood"_ , yet utterly sweet and polite, not asking about Quidditch until my dad brought it up, even though it was clear she was dying to. My mum said that she had shocked the pants off of my dad when he engaged her in a conversation and found that she was every bit as witty and sarcastic as the rest of the Weasley family. My dad said he'd hadn't laughed as much as he did during that conversation in ages. They both continued to gush about her, further describing her as fiery, clever, mischievous, funny, adorable, and "totally and completely Quidditch enthralled". By the time my parents had finished doting on the girl who _wasn't even in the room_ and suggested that I meet her, I had just about had it with Phoenix Potter. I snapped that I wasn't interested in meeting her, told them that she sounded like a brat, and stormed off to grab my broom. For that I was grounded from flying for a week, a dreadful punishment which furthered my anger with Phoenix, and my mum continued to asked if I wanted to go meet her. I told her no every time, already hating the idea of this girl.

Then I met her today, and realized that my parents were right.

We hadn't really had much of a conversation, but she was clearly clever, and most definitely as beautiful as my parents described.

And she was probably almost as obsessed with Quidditch as I am.

* * *

 **Phoenix's Point of View:**

* * *

A few hours later we were pulling into the station at Hogwarts. James and Fred were practically vibrating with excitement, and Rox, Lucy and I were pressed up against the window, trying to see into the darkness.

A knock on the door of our compartment made us jump, and we whirled around to find Teddy and Victoire outside.

"We figured we'd walk you all over to Hagrid, make sure you didn't get turned around in the crowd," Ted explained as Roxy opened the door.

We followed them off of the train, glancing around until we heard a huge voice yelling, "Firs' years!"

"Well that's you lot. See you after the feast," Vic called as she and Teddy walked away.

"Alrigh' there Weasleys, Potters? Forgo' how many of you lot there would be this year! Alrigh' now, four to a boat!" Hagrid shouted. He then pretended not to notice as all five of us squished into one boat. At his command the boats lurched forward, and we grabbed at each other's hands excitedly as we moved towards the famous castle.

We were gliding across the water when we heard gasps from the boats in front of us. The trees that had been lining the edges of the water ended abruptly, and we found ourselves gazing wide-eyed at Hogwarts castle.

Our parents had told us they rebuilt the castle after the Final Battle, but after all the war stories we had been told I had somehow still expected to be able to see the damage done to the castle.

Instead, the castle was in perfect condition. The towers, the windows, and the large grey stones it was made out of looked exactly how my parents had described it from their school years. I didn't take my eyes off of it until we heard Hagrid shout, "Duck!"

We were plunged into darkness as we entered a small tunnel. For a few moments we stared into the inky blackness around us, before our boats left the tunnel and started to dock on the shore of the lake.

We huddled together as we walked toward the front doors. They opened just as we reached them and Professor Flitwick, a man who we had met several times on Memorial Days in the past, stood in the doorway.

"Welcome to Hogwarts. In a moment we will walk to the entrance of the Great Hall, where I will leave you for a minute while I prepare the Sorting Ceremony, then I will return and we will begin the Ceremony. Hagrid, thank you for bringing the first years, please feel free to take your seat in the Great Hall," Flitwick said before turning and leading us inside. Most of the students gazed around in amazement, taking in the large chandelier and the paintings and decorations, but I could only stare at the great staircase to our left.

A plaque on the wall next to it read:

 _ **In memory of those who fell on and around this staircase in the Final Battle.**_

Underneath that was a list of names, and I looked away before any of them started to look familiar.

We entered a small room, where Flitwick told us to tidy ourselves and left.

"Did you see the staircase?" James asked immediately.

"Yeah. I think it's a good thought, but Merlin knows I'll be using it as little as possible. Did you see the names on the plaque? I'll bet Uncle Fred is somewhere on there," Lucy whispered.

We all nodded before falling silent. We stood that way until Professor Flitwick returned and lead us into the Great Hall.

This time I joined the others in staring around the room, glancing repeatedly at the bewitched ceiling and the four long tables. I spotted Molly and Dom waving at us, and nervously waved back before letting my gaze fall on the hat sitting on a stool just in front of the professors' table.

The hall fell silent as the hat opened its mouth and began to sing.

 _Well the war is through,_

 _Times no longer blue,_

 _The Golden Age's begun._

 _Your lives are well,_

 _No foe to fell,_

 _The war has just been won._

 _But do not be fooled,_

 _We're poorly ruled,_

 _Trouble can be ignored but not foregone._

 _But that is not why we're gathered here,_

 _For now's the sorting time of year,_

 _So sit and do not woe or fret,_

 _For I have not messed up yet,_

 _Whether I place you in bold Gryffindor,_

 _Where adventure surely lies in store,_

 _Or in loyal Hufflepuff,_

 _Where you won't have to fear for lie or bluff,_

 _Or in with cunning Slytherin,_

 _Where accomplishment is sure to begin,_

 _Or with our clever Ravenclaws,_

 _Where knowledge and skill are their only laws,_

 _Remember that I know your mind and heart,_

 _And difference in mind should not mean you're apart._

We clapped politely, but many students were exchanging nervous glances. Professor Flitwick stepped up next to the stool and unraveled a scroll.

"Arnen, Jason," He called, and the sorting began.

After what seemed like ages Flitwick yelled, "Potter, James." The entire hall erupted into whispers as my brother approached the stool. He appeared calm and collected, but I could see the way he was clenching and unclenching his hands and knew he was anything but.

The hat sat on his head for about 5 seconds before yelling, "GRYFFINDOR!". I could hear my cousins and Teddy cheering loudly for him as he walked towards the ecstatic table.

"Potter, Phoenix."

I tried to keep my best "press face" as the whispers spread again, but I was practically vibrating with nerves. I sat on the stool and the hat slipped over my head, blocking out my view of the hall.

 _My, my, aren't you something. I could place you, dear child, in any of the houses and you'd get along just fine._

'Please put me in Gryffindor', I thought.

The hat was silent for a long moment before responding.

 _Yes, I suppose that would be best, though you could do just fine in any house. You've got the makings of a fine young witch, clever, a bit cunning, ambitious, and very loyal. You're quite a brave little thing though, so I suppose our best bet would be…_

"GRYFFINDOR!"

I walked away with a broad smile on my face, dropping into a seat next to James.

"Took you long enough," He muttered in my ear.

"Yeah, sorry about that. The hat was just telling me how much of an idiot my twin is," I whispered back.

There was no way I was going to tell James that the hat said I would be just as well off in Slytherin as Gryffindor.

We watched as a several more children were sorted, until finally Professor Flitwick called, "Weasley, Frederick."

The same whispers that had started when James and I were sorted continued through all three of our cousins' sortings. Our table hardly stopped cheering as Roxanne, Lucy and Fred all joined us in Gryffindor.

Professor McGonagall gave a short speech, went over a list of banned items (which included nearly all of our Uncle George's products), and then the feast began.

Grandma Weasley's food was good, but our parents were right, Hogwarts food is _legendary_.

We ate our fill, talking and joking with the other first year Gryffindors. Roxy and Lucy began asking the only other girl, Lana Phyllis, about her home life, while Fred and James began talking Quidditch with the other three boys. I talked with Phyllis for a while before I joined the boys' conversation. We laughed and joked our way though dinner.

Finally, when we felt we could eat no more, the food disappeared and everyone began to get up.

"First years, follow me to the Gryffindor Common room!" Teddy, who was a prefect, called.

We exchanged excited glances and followed him out of the Great Hall.

* * *

 **Author's Note: The sorting hat's song took forever to write, who knew it was so hard to find a word that rhymes with through? Enjoy**


	3. Charms, Chasers, and Chaser's Charms

**Author's Note: So I have determined that my lovely dividing lines didn't transfer over from Word to FFN, which made the monologue about the press and Al's begging to go to Hogwarts seem like two back to back paragraphs. This obviously made no sense, so after some research on how to create dividing lines in FFN, I have edited the last chapter; hopefully it now makes perfect sense and comes fully equipped with dividing lines.**

 **I do not own Harry Potter; if I did Fred Weasley would have lived.**

* * *

 **Charms, Chasers, and Chaser's Charms**

* * *

For the longest time I couldn't picture my mother and godmother as having ever been anything less than the best of friends.

Sure my Mum was a bit younger than my godmother, not to mention they hadn't even met until my mother was 13, but I had always pictured them immediately becoming as close as they are.

I found out this was not the case one night when I was about 6.

I had gone to ask my father to put me to bed when I overheard him talking to my Uncle Ron. My uncle had asked him, "So how did Fleur and Gin end up friends? Last I knew Gin _hated_ Fleur, then we finish the final battle and suddenly they're life-long pals."

My father had opened his mouth to respond when he spotted me standing in the doorway to his office, a stunned look on my face. I quickly turned and ran to my room, confused, and my father had followed. He sat down on the on the edge of my bed with a sigh and told me, "When your godmother first got engaged to your Uncle Bill, your Mum hated her because she thought that Fleur was using her Veela powers to force your Uncle into marrying her. You know how protective your mother gets when it comes to family right? So she hated her and made fun of her, hoping it would drive her away."

"But then how come she's my godmother?" I had asked, trying not to cry at the realization that my Mum had believed my Aunt and Uncle's marriage to be fake.

"Well you know how your Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron left with me to find the dark objects Voldemort made, right?" I had nodded, accepting the term 'dark objects' because at that point he hadn't wanted to tell us about Horcruxes. "Well when we left your mother behind, she had a really rough time with it. Things were very bad at Hogwarts at the time, and your Aunt Hermione wasn't there for her to talk about it with. Then your Aunt Fleur wrote her, telling her that she hoped she was getting along well, and, in code, telling her that Voldemort hadn't caught us yet."

"After that they began a regular post, talking about little things that would only seem like talk between in-laws to anyone but them. When your Mum came home at Christmas, all banged up from the Carrows, your Aunt Fleur was the one to teach her healing spells and several wicked defense spells. For Christmas Fleur gave your Mum an enchanted mirror, which would allow them to communicate without the Death Eaters being able to listen in. Then Luna, who, besides your Aunt 'Mione, was your Mum's best friend, was kidnapped over the break. After that your Mum began to rely on Fleur for everything."

"So she didn't hate her anymore?" I had asked, feeling much better about things.

"No, definitely not. When your Uncle Fred died your Aunt Fleur was one of the biggest reasons your mother was able to come to terms with things. Now they both love each other as though they were sisters in blood, rather than in marriage. Your Aunt Fleur even picked out your middle name."

My eyes had widened in amazement. "She did?"

My Dad had laughed at me, "Well yeah kiddo, why do you think it's French? Ask her about it sometime, I'm sure she'd love to tell you about it."

I did ask my Aunt Fleur about it, and she told me, "While Phoenix is a beautiful, strong name, especially for a child who was born into a world coming out of war, a lady always needs a softer side. Annette means grace and favor, two things I knew you would grow up with. Your mother mentioned she and your father were still thinking on a middle name, and she fell in love with it as soon as I suggested it, as did your father. Your names very much describe you, love. Strong, beautiful, graceful and favored."

I had always adored my middle name, but knowing that one of my favorite people had picked it out made it even more special to me. It also explained why she always called me Annette, something her husband and children had picked up as well.

* * *

I was sat with Wood at the Gryffindor table the next morning when I began to receive letters from various family members.

Most of them were simple, congratulating me on getting into Gryffindor, telling me to enjoy my first year at Hogwarts and, in my Uncle George's case, telling me to pull lots of pranks. My parent's letter was a bit longer, giving the standard congrats, advice on various things concerning Hogwarts, and ending with the instruction to stay safe. Then I finally received a letter written in my godmother's familiar loopy cursive. I eagerly tore it open to read:

 _My Lovely Annette,_

 _I hope you are enjoying your time at Hogwarts. I know how large the castle is, and how easy it is to get lost. If you need help getting somewhere, remember that it is better to ask for help than to be late, for while a lady should never be late, it is okay for her to occasionally swallow her pride and ask for assistance._

 _I hope you are making many new friends. I know that you will always have your cousins, and that your friendship with them will always be strong, but sometimes it's nice to have someone to confide in who isn't related to you._

 _Remember to be polite, not only to those who are kind but especially to those who are not._

 _What better way to get under their skin?_

 _Congratulations on making it into Gryffindor, though remember; just because you are brave does not mean you can't be smart, loyal, or even cunning. You are all of these things. Embrace them because they will help you through life._

 _Be good and stay warm, I know how chilly Hogwarts can get._

 _Much love,_

 _Aunt Fleur._

After my letters I was in a great mood. I chatted with Wood about Quidditch until we received our schedules. I looked at mine to see that my first class was Charms.

"How does your schedule look?" Wood asked.

"I have Charms first," I told him, wondering if I should take Aunt Fleur's advice and ask him for directions to class, for I had no idea where it was and I would much rather ask someone I knew.

Thankfully he saved me from having to decide when he asked, "I could walk you if you'd like? Its on the third floor so it can be a bit hard to find, and we have plenty of time for me to take you and get to my first class in time."

I nodded, so we both gathered up our stuff and left the hall. We continued to talk Quidditch, and I was delighted to find that he knew as much about the sport as I did. By the time we reached the classroom we were debating the most recent addition to the Chuddley Cannons.

"I'm serious, they're awful, nothing can save them, not even Xander Collins," Wood argued.

"I'm not saying they're going to win the World Cup, I'm just saying that they can't get any worse, and Collins will definitely help them out," I replied.

"True, well hopefully the captain for Gryffindor thinks the same thing about me at tryouts this Saturday," He said nervously.

"You'll do great Wood," I assured him.

"Thanks Potter. What do you have next class?"

I glanced down at my schedule. "Um, Potions."

"Drat, I was thinking maybe I could walk you, but I have Herbology and there's no way I could make it back in time. Sorry, but I'll see you at lunch?"

I couldn't help but grin at him. "Yeah, I'll see you at lunch."

He smiled back before walking off.

* * *

Roxy, Lucy and Lana Phyllis rushed into class about two minutes to the bell, much to my amusement.

"How on Earth did you get here on time?" Roxy demanded as she slid into the seat behind me. Phyllis and Lucy sat behind us, still panting as they had obviously run here.

"I woke up this morning and tried to wake you lot up, but obviously that was impossible seeing how you and Luce got the Weasley genes when it comes to sleeping-I don't know what your excuse is though Phyllis," I laughed as she turned bright red and muttered something about being a heavy sleeper. "So I decided to go downstairs for breakfast. When I got into the Common Room I ran into Wood, who was also going to breakfast, so we walked together. Then we ended up sitting together, so when I got my schedule he offered to walk me to my first class."

Roxy smirked at me, but before she could say anything the bell rang and Flitwick began class.

"Now class, the spell that we're learning today is rather simple, but seeing as this is probably your first time actually controlling your magic by use of wand, it will probably take you a few tries to get it. The spell is _Wingardium Leviosa,_ and the wand movement is a simple swish and flick. Off you go then!"

I pointed my wand at the feather that had suddenly appeared before me. " _Wingardium Leviosa_!"

To my surprise, the spell worked perfectly.

"Well done Miss Potter! Was that your first try?" Professor Flitwick's squeaky voice suddenly rang across the classroom. At my nod he asked me to demonstrate again, this time for the whole class to watch.

Taking a deep breath I pointed my wand at the feather again. " _Wingardium Leviosa_!"

Again the spell worked perfectly. Professor Flitwick gave me ten points for Gryffindor-my first points, ever-and told me I could either keep practicing or, since I didn't really have anything to study for yet, sit quietly.

* * *

My day seemed to only get better after that. We managed to make it to Potions in time, where Slughorn told me that I looked just like my Grandma Potter. His class was fairly simple, he just went over the basics of potion making and then taught us how to cut up some plants. Then at lunch Roxy, Lucy, Phyllis and I ended up sitting with Fred and James, who had somehow wound up lost until Potions, and Wood, which I was rather pleased about.

My first day seemed also to set the tone for my first few weeks at Hogwarts. On Saturday Wood came bursting into the common room yelling that he was now a Gryffindor chaser. When I had told him congratulations and mentioned how lucky he was he offered to see about sneaking me out to fly when there wasn't team practices going on. I accepted eagerly, and we soon fell into a routine of flying every Tuesday after classes and every Sunday in the early morning. Wood said he was jealous that I also got flying classes, as I was a first year. I was extremely pleased with this because James, Fred and I were so good our teacher, Madam Hooch, would just let us fly around while she taught

I also found out that my first day in Charms wasn't simply beginners luck, but that Charms was very natural to me. Professor Flitwick told me that it was another thing I had in common with grandma Potter.

Despite how well things were going in school, things were still not right outside of school. People would go missing from time to time, and Death Eaters were still being released from prison. It was very worrying, but outside of my family and a few of our close friends, no one seemed to want to do anything about it.

Almost before I knew it, it was Halloween. I was very excited, for my father had described the fabulous decorations and feast to me. Plus, it seemed like there was always some sort of adventure for Dad on Halloween, so maybe I would get lucky and there would be one for me as well. Although, hopefully it wouldn't be potentially deadly, as Dad's always seemed to end up.

That evening I found myself sitting on my bed reading my book while my dormmates ran around getting ready for the feast.

"Phoenix, red or orange?" Roxy yelled across the dorm.

I glanced up at the elaborate tops she held up on either side of herself. "Rox it's a feast, not a ball," I said exasperatedly. She had been asking me similar questions all night.

"Just answer the question," She whined.

"Fine, go with red because it can still be festive for the holiday while orange is completely overdone. Plus the orange shirt is tighter fitting, which would be uncomfortable after eating a bunch, which, knowing you Weasleys, you will."

She nodded, and threw on the shirt before walking into the bathroom. On the other side of the dorm Lana and Lucy were debating shoes. I just shook my head, wondering why it was such a big deal that the school was letting us dress up a bit for the feast. We were only going to eat food, why did we need to dress up for that?

I ended up just throwing on skinny jeans, a Holyhead Harpies shirt, and converse, a type of muggle shoe I had grown very fond of. Then I sat on my bed and continued to read. I was reading a book that Wood had loaned me on Quidditch. Finally the other girls were ready, and we walked down the Great Hall.

I glanced around to see that most of the girls had gone all out, like my dormmates, while most of the guys and a few girls just wore casual clothes, like me.

We found Fred and James sitting with a few of the other boys in our year. I was pleased to find Wood and his friends sitting next to them.

I quickly sat next to Wood, and Roxy sat on my other side. Luce sat next to her, with Lana on her other side. Almost immediately after we sat down the food appeared, and the feast began.

"Nice shirt Wood," I said with a grin, looking at his Puddlemere United shirt. He noticed my shirt and grinned back.

"Thanks, same to you. You know, we've been friends for plenty long enough for you to call me Jay, if you want," He responded.

"Alright then, Jay, I suppose you ought to start calling me Phoenix," I told him. He beamed at me before we started discussing the book he had loaned me. I spent the rest of the feast talking and laughing with my friends and family, and all too soon we were headed back to the common room. We stayed up late playing exploding snap and wizards chess, then just talking and laughing by the fire. Soon we began to drift off where we sat. Just as I fell asleep, in front of the couch with my head in Jay's lap, I realized that I didn't get my Halloween adventure.

Little did I know, in a little valley just past my father's childhood home in Godric's Hollow, a witch was getting more than her share of "adventure".

* * *

 **Third Person.**

 **A small valley outside of Godric's Hollow.**

* * *

Susan Bones was running faster than she had ever run before in her life.

She hadn't run this fast when the DA was caught by Umbridge in her fifth year.

She hadn't run this fast in the Final Battle at Hogwarts.

She hadn't run this fast, ever, because she had never been this scared.

They came into her house late at night.

A seasoned fighter, she had leapt to her feet, wand drawn. The moment she saw the masks she had begun throwing curses.

One of her curses blew the mask and hood off of one of the Death Eaters.

The face she had seen underneath would haunt her for the rest of her life.

Though, right now she wasn't sure how much longer that would be.

It was the face of Augustus Rookwood, but Rookwood was no longer himself.

He was no longer human, that was certain. He no longer had pupils or irises; instead, his eyes glowed like torches with a strange green light. His face was sunken, his skin pale and waxy, but he positively _radiated_ power. His hair was gone, and in its place were strange, ancient runes. The moment she looked at them she heard strange whispers and began to feel very ill.

That was when she had turned and fled out her window.

Her curses had apparently had no effect on the creatures, for they ran after her with a speed and agility that horrified her. She could feel them closing in on her quickly, and in her final moments she cast a patronus.

"HARRY THEY AREN'T HUMAN!" She screamed before she felt a hand grab her around her neck.

Her magpie patronus flew off carrying her last words, her screams echoing in the valley behind it.

* * *

 **Many apologies for taking a while to update, I have been a bit busy, but hopefully this chapter makes up for it. It's not quite as long as the previous chapter, but its still about 11 pages, so it's decent.**

 **So that was a bit of a dark ending to a fairly cheerful chapter, yeah? If there are any Susan Bones fans reading this, sorry about killing her off right off the bat, but she seemed the perfect person for the job. Did you know that despite Susan being in DA and asking Harry about his patronus, she doesn't actually have a confirmed one herself? I went ahead and picked a magpie because they are known to be intelligent and, according to Korean culture, loyal. Sounded like Susan to me.**

 **To my wonderful reviewers:**

laxgirl1415 **: You are seriously my favorite person! My first follow and reviewer, thank you so much! I'm so glad you're enjoying my story.**

trulytrue1 **: I'm very happy you're enjoying this story! Thank you for wanting more haha. : )**

 **To all my lovely followers and my awesome favoriter (is that even a word?):**

 **Thank you thank you! Enjoy!**


	4. Little in The World

**Author's Note: Anything you recognize belongs to the wonderful J.K. Rowling. I do not own Harry Potter, if I did Sirius Black wouldn't have gone after Wormtail, he would have had him put into Azkaban and then given Harry the childhood he deserved. Then they would have taken over the world and it would have been bloody wicked.**

* * *

 **Little in The World**

* * *

It was said that one of the main reasons Voldemort was so feared was because of the magical creatures he had assisting him. He had werewolves, giants, and inferi.

The thing is though; by the time Voldemort was making his second attempt at a take-over we knew what to expect. We knew how to deal with giants, werewolves, inferi, and even Death Eaters.

These _things_ that had replaced the Death Eaters; we had no idea how to deal with them.

We had no idea what they were.

Hell, half of us didn't even know they existed until it was too late.

The wizarding world thought that Voldemort and his creatures were the worst things that could ever attack us.

When Minister Hastings brought his creatures to our world, we discovered that while Voldemort's army was bad, it was nowhere near the worst thing that could ever hit us.

For, while Voldemort hadn't been exactly _human_ , his Death Eaters were completely so.

Minister Hastings' army was not human.

Not even close.

* * *

The next morning we awoke to a tapping on the window.

James was closest, so he threw open the window and pulled in an exhausted looking owl.

"Teddy," He said, an odd look on his face as he looked at the letter.

"What? James let me see that," Teddy said, gently taking the letter from him. Teddy glanced at the letter, then lifted Dom's legs from the couch and into his lap as he sat down.

"What Ted?" Vic said.

Teddy looked around, then shook his head. "Family up to my dorm. Now."

I sleepily pulled myself away from Jay and followed my family to the 6th year dorms. He only had 2 dormmates, (since he was born during the wartime and very few people wanted to have a baby or be pregnant during the war) and they were both early risers, so the dorm was empty.

Teddy sank down onto his bed with his head in his hands. Victoire sat behind him with her hands on his shoulders, and we all followed suit, piling onto beds and the floor. I sat down and was stunned when I felt James sit behind me and wrap his arms around my waist. He buried his face in my hair, and I was suddenly reminded that, as tough and mature he tried to act at school, my brother was just as young as I: a first year, 11 years old. Very small in the school, very small in the world.

Finally, without pulling his head out of his hands, Teddy spoke, "Susan Bones was killed last night. She was in her home, they found it ransacked with no sign of her."

There were several gasps from my family. We knew Susan rather well as she was a good friend of our parents.

"That's not the worst part though," Teddy continued, "She sent dad a patronus."

We all sat in silent anticipation, waiting for Teddy to speak again, but to my surprise it was James who spoke.

"It said 'Harry they aren't human'," He sighed, and there were looks of horror from around the room.

"What does she mean?" Lucy asked softly.

"That's the thing, dad says they can't know for certain what she meant. She could have meant that the things attacking her weren't human, they could have been vampires or inferi or something like that, or she could have meant that the Death Eaters were no longer human, or she could have meant something else entirely," Teddy said softly. We all sat there in silence, mulling over his words.

Finally, Vic whispered, "Squeak."

We looked at her, confused, until a little house elf popped into the room.

"Hello missus Weasley! How is I be helping you today?" The little elf asked.

"Could we have some breakfast please?" Vic asked her. She nodded quickly, then disappeared again. We waited silently for a few more minutes before she returned.

Squeak set down a few trays full of food, then left. Dom and Molly got up and dished out the food. Teddy stood up and gathered a quill and some parchment, and we composed a letter while we ate.

 _Dear Parents,_

 _We are very sorry to hear about Susan. She was a wonderful person and taught us a lot. Thank you for informing us of her death before it was printed in the papers…if it ends up printed in the papers. And thank you for telling us about her patronus._

 _Please inform us of the date of her funeral, as well as whether or not we will be able to attend._

 _-The Weasley and Potter children_.

Teddy read the letter and we all nodded our approval. It was rather formal, but then this was a rather serious situation, so we felt it was appropriate. We made sure to ask about the funeral. Susan had been a very close friend of Hannah Longbottom, so we had known her practically our whole lives.

* * *

We walked down to the Quidditch pitch in groups of twos and threes, so that we didn't make a huge scene by walking all together. Dom had suggested a friendly game to distract ourselves, and we had all immediately agreed.

Lucy, Rox and I walked down holding hands. Luce was rather upset; she had always been very fond of Susan.

We reached the pitch and Teddy and Vic picked teams. As we took off from the ground I couldn't help but be grateful that the rule about first years having broomsticks had been changed. They had finally agreed on changing it in Vic's first year, saying that it would be better for first years to have their own broom, since we would be flying during lessons at least once a week.

Despite our careful planning, we still ended up with quite the audience by the time the game got into full swing. I played chaser and couldn't help but laugh as I scored on Teddy over and over again. His hair was bright red by the 11th time I scored on him, and we were lucky Vic caught the snitch right afterwards because we were all laughing so hard we sank towards the ground rather than flying.

"Come on Phe, you couldn't have gone easy on me? I'm the team keeper, you're killing me smalls!" Teddy whined. We all laughed even harder at that.

"Good job Annie!" Vic said, picking me up and swinging me around.

"Sure, rub it in why don't you?" Teddy grumbled.

Vic grinned at him, "Poor Teddy. Do you want me to kiss your poor feelings better?"

"Oh Vic, it's his pride that is wounded, but I'm sure he'd take any kiss he could get from you," I said wisely.

"Oi!" Teddy exclaimed as Vic blushed.

"Nah Annette, Ted wouldn't want to act desperate," Dom started with a smirk.

"Thank you-"

"Not when he's got a picture of her under his pillow to snog before he can work up the guts to do it in person!" She cried, laughing hysterically.

"Hey wait, no I don't want to…I mean I don't…I don't thing you lot know anything about…" Teddy spluttered.

"Oh, so you don't like me like that?" Victoire pouted at Teddy, her expression teasing.

Teddy, however, hadn't been looking at Vic, and therefor missed her teasing. As soon as she spoke, his ears and hair turned red, and he stuttered for a few moments before shouting, "Piss it all!" Then he grabbed Victoire and snogged her.

We all sat in absolute, stunned silence.

When the two finally pulled apart Teddy said, "Vic, I've been nuts about you since your first year. And technically, you agreed to marry me when we were like three, so since you're already my fiancée I think you should be my girlfriend. What do you say Vic? Go to Hogsmeade with me next weekend?"

It was terribly silly, but sort of sweet, and we all 'awed' as Victoire beamed and nodded at him. Then they started snogging again.

We began cheering and hollering, and were stunned when the crowd that had come to watch our game started up as well. We had sort of forgotten about them.

We walked back up to the castle, considerably more cheerful than we had been on our way down the pitch.

* * *

 **This chapter is very short, so sorry guys, I'm so busy right now, but I should have a lot more down time for writing starting in a few days.**

 **Again, sorry for such a short chapter after such a long wait, but more to come soon.**

 **Much love, and as always, thank you for reading, following, favoriting, and reviewing.**

 **Enjoy!**


	5. Not Quite Falling For You Yet

**Author's Note: Okay, I'll admit that I suck. "I'll have more time to write soon", yet it's taken me longer to update than it ever has before! In my defense, I'm sick but I do realize this is a crappy excuse. My apologies! In other news, I was actually in Phoenix, Arizona a few days ago! That was odd. And hot. Like temperature wise.**

 **Also, after posting my last chapter I realize I had said Susan had "was taken", obviously if they're worrying about a funeral I should have written "was killed". That has been fixed.**

 **I own nothing, if I did Hermione would have married Harry and Ginny would have married Blaise.**

* * *

 **Not Quite Falling For You Yet**

* * *

One of my mother and godmother's favorite stories took place when Vic was 2 and Teddy had only just turned 3.

They were cooking dinner in the kitchen while Victoire and Teddy played in the backyard. My Aunt Fleur looked out the window to check on them, then suddenly was dragging my Mum outside. The two were shocked to see Teddy kissing Vic.

My Mum had dragged Ted away from Vic, demanding to know what they were doing. Teddy explained that he had seen her and my Dad doing it, and Dad had told him that it was what people do when they love each other. Teddy then explained that he loved Victoire, so he had done it.

My Mum and Aunt both thought it was very sweet, but told the children that kissing was something you only did when you were in a relationship. When Vic asked what a "welationsip" was, Mum used herself and my Dad as an example, explaining that they were in relationship because they were engaged. Teddy quickly asked what "engagded" was, and Aunt Fleur and my Mum tried to explain the entire process of getting engaged and then married. When they finished, Teddy stood up and ran inside. My Mum and Aunt were confused, and were getting ready to go check on him when he came running back, something shiny clutched in his hand.

Teddy got down on his knees in front of Victoire and held up a plastic ring he had won from a game in a muggle store Aunt Hermione had taken him to. "Vitorie, will you mawwy me?" Vic had nodded and my Mum and Aunt were too surprised to object until the two tried to kiss again.

"Teddy, Victoire, getting married is something grown-ups do. If you two still love each other when you're older, after Hogwarts, then you can see about getting married. Until then you two are just friends, okay? And no more kissing."

They had been very put out, but had agreed after my Mum got Vic a necklace chain to keep the ring on and given them some ice cream. Neither actually remembered "getting engaged", but my Mum and Aunt Fleur had told the story enough times that we all knew it.

A few of the little cousins were rooting for Ted and Vic simply because their getting married would make Teddy a genuine family member. The rest of us were rooting for Teddy and Vic because they were obviously infatuated with one another.

Vic still had the chain and the plastic ring.

* * *

Susan Bones' funeral was set over Christmas Break, which seemed to arrive very quickly, and we all attended. It was a very somber affair, and most of our family cried. Hanna Longbottom sat in the row in front of us, and Neville held her while she sobbed loudly. Afterwards we went home and sat around the living room, listening to our parents tell old stories from their time at Hogwarts. We heard about Uncle Fred and Uncle George's various pranks, Dad, Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione's adventures, and about the DA. After a while our parents started to tell us every story they could remember about Susan, and, though they hadn't known her very well during school, they still had enough stories to last a few hours before they went back to talking about other things.

We were all more cheerful when we were herded upstairs for bed, though we had noticed Uncle George and Aunt Angelina slip out after the stories of Uncle Fred. We were pleased when the parents pretended not to notice us all sneaking into one room, though Uncle Bill definitely gave narrowed his eyes a bit at Teddy before Aunt Fleur pulled him away. We stayed up, whispering stories of Hogwarts to the little ones until Mum came in, her red hair flying about as she waved her wand threateningly, telling us she would hex us if we didn't go to sleep.

We fell asleep quickly after that, though not until after Molly got up and brought Lucy a tissue when she started to cry over Susan again, and Lily snuck over to where James and I were laying and fell asleep in my lap. I glanced around to see Vic lying with her head in Teddy's lap, Al and Rose snoring side-by-side, and Rox and Fred sleeping by James' and my feet.

I smiled as I felt James wrap his arms around my shoulders, for I knew that, no matter what else was going on in the wizarding world, my family was safe as long as we had each other.

* * *

Christmas was its usual grand affair, with everyone my age and younger running around jumping on beds first thing in the morning (though Fred swears he saw Teddy jumping on Uncle Ron when he wouldn't get up) and presents for all the various family members spread out on every available surface. After we had opened our presents, Grandma Weasley made us all line up for a picture. We were all wearing sweaters with our initials across the front. Mum said Grandma used to make them with just the first letter of their first name on it, but now we would have so many repeat letters she does initials instead. Uncle Ron finds it hilarious that if Dad had taken Mum's last name he and Aunt Hermione would have had the same initials.

We spent the rest of our break having snowball fights and just laying around. Vic also spent quite a bit of time studying for her OWLs, and Teddy would often sneak up to her room to "help". Fred, Rox, James and I flew up to their window with a camera a few times, and we officially have enough blackmail on them to last a lifetime.

I spent a while with my godmother before we had to return from school. She knew all about what I did at school from our letters, and she promised to teach me some great charms some day. Then she drilled my on Jay, whom I assured her was just a friend, since I wasn't really interested in boys just yet. That, of course, didn't stop her from teasing me mercilessly, and before long we were laughing hysterically. Then she told me about meeting Uncle Bill, him helping her learn English, and even a bit about the battle of Hogwarts.

"Remember mon chère, if you ever need anything, you may always write me. Be good, keep me updated on things and that Jay of yours, I know, he's just a friend, but I'd still like to hear more about your after class flights together. I think it's sweet that he's helping a first year sneak out to fly. Not that you need his help, between your father, your Uncles Fred and George, and your grandfather and his friends I think you'd do just fine with sneaking out on your own, but its nice to know who will help you. I love you Annette, remember what I said about all the houses. It's okay to be cunning, loyal, brave and smart. And you are," With that she kissed my brow before getting up to help cook dinner.

* * *

We returned to Hogwarts shortly after that, and I found some things going about the same way as it had been before Susan Bones died. I kept sneaking out to fly with Jay, easily accomplishing Charms, and spending time with Luce, Roxy and Lana. I found myself growing to really like Lana Phyllis, though she and Lucy tended to be closer with each other, and Rox and I found ourselves growing closer with one another as a result.

A few things changed though. I realized that, while they didn't come nearly as easily as Charms, I really liked Transfiguration and Potions. I found myself coming after classes (when I wasn't flying with Jay, of course) and asking for extra work in both. My professors, McGonagall and Slughorn, were thrilled, and I found that I enjoyed the challenge the two subjects posed. I suppose that was why the Sorting Hat told me I could do well in Ravenclaw.

I also found myself growing much closer with Fred. I had snuck out late one night because I couldn't fall asleep. I was walking around the castle, thinking about heading down to sit by the lake or going for a fly, when I heard Filch's voice.

From what the parents had told us, Filch had always been a bit crazy. But everyone agrees Filch really went off his rocker when his cat Mrs. Norris died a few years ago. Ever since then he would walk around late at night, talking to his dead cat and laughing every once and a while. People said that Professor McGonagall wanted very badly to fire him, but believed it would be too cruel, since he was very old and very crazy.

Knowing all this, I was naturally quite terrified when I realized he was about to catch me. I turned and started to run, but I knew there was no way I was going to escape before he saw me.

Just as Filch started come round the corner, two hands darted out from behind a suit of armor, one clapping over my mouth and the other dragging me back towards the over of the hands.

I waited, my back pressed against the stomach of whoever had grabbed me, until Filch walked by us and into the next corridor. Then I yanked myself away from the person behind me and flung my wand up into their face.

"Woah there. Easy Nix, I didn't hide you just to get my face hexed off," I was surprised to find out that my savior was my cousin Fred.

"Fred?" I asked, lowering my wand.

"The one and only," He responded smugly.

I chose not to mention that he was technically Fred the second, since I'm sure he wasn't particularly fond of being named after his father's dead twin brother. I knew it bothered him that his dad had trouble saying his name sometimes, or even looking at him on Uncle Fred and George's birthday, or right after people told him he looked just like Uncle Fred. I had once overheard a conversation between my Dad and Mum, where my Dad said he felt a bit bad for George because he had a constant reminder that his brother was dead. Mum said Aunt Angelina named him.

"What are you doing out here?" I asked him.

"I could ask you the same question," He responded as he leaned up against the wall.

"I was bored, and was thinking about going down to the lake, or maybe going out on my broom."

"I was thinking about pulling a prank on Filch, or maybe the Slytherins."

"Why didn't you?"

"I don't want to be a carbon copy of my dad and his twin. I know everyone thinks I am, hell even James and Roxy say stuff about it, everyone does-"

I knew it. "I don't," I interrupted.

"What?"

"I don't think you're a copy of them. I've never said I did either. I think everyone's their own person. Especially you. Don't think I don't notice those books on dragons you read, or the motorcycle magazines in your room," I told him.

He stared at me for a moment before grinning.

"I knew you were cool, little cousin."

"I'm 3 months younger than you are, don't go acting like you're so much older," I responded immediately. James was barely older than me, but he never let me forget it. Fred just laughed and slung his arm around my shoulder as we walked back to the common room.

After that Fred and I were much closer, a fact that irked both of our twins. James went on and on about how Fred was _his_ best friend, while Roxy constantly asked me how I could stand her annoying brother. Still, we enjoyed each other's company, so Fred and "Nix", as he insisted on calling me, were quickly becoming known as the new "prankster twins", despite the fact that we weren't each other's twin, and we had never even pulled a prank. Instead he would come to get extra Transfiguration and Potions with me (which I suppose is when people thought we were pulling pranks, since we had decided not to tell anyone what we were doing) and would talk Quidditch with Jay and I. I, in return, learned more about dragons and motorcycles than I ever thought possible, but I found it surprisingly interesting.

One morning towards the end of the school year, Professor Flitwick asked me to come see him after dinner. I spent the rest of the day wondering what he could possibly want, since I hadn't gotten into any trouble lately, and I was still doing wonderfully in Charms. Roxy, Lucy and Lana spent the day teasing me, telling me that I was going to get expelled, or something as equally ridiculous, which James, Fred and even Jay caught onto. The end result was that I was practically shaking as I walked to Flitwick's room.

I knocked on his door, trying to reason with myself. He wasn't going to throw me out of school. Or feed me to a giant spider. Or…

"Ah, Miss Potter, do come in now! I do hope you haven't been worrying, but I didn't want your peers to know that I'm offering you advanced courses next year! Oh don't look so surprised, you didn't honestly think you would be in trouble, did you?"

I knew my relief was spelled out across my face, but I couldn't help but grin all the same.

"You're offering me advanced courses?"

"Indeed my dear. I was thinking perhaps you would like to be bumped up a year in Charms. You could take your NEWTs a year early, then take another year of extra spells and such that most students don't get to learn. Of course, you would be taking the course the same year you take all your other NEWTs, so we will have to try and keep the homework to a minimum, but that shouldn't be a problem with how quickly you catch onto things. I wasn't sure if you would be interested in this sort of thing, but I recently had an interesting conversation with Professors McGonagall and Slughorn about some extra work you and Mr. Weasley have been taking on, so I thought you wouldn't be too terribly opposed to the idea. Plus I've heard you're rather good friends with Mr. Wood, so we could place you in his class, if you'd like."

Flitwick was waiting for me to decide with a mixture of hope and excitement. I wasn't ever going to say no, but the moment he mentioned being in the class with Jay I was completely sold.

"It would be an honor Professor," I told him honestly.

"I knew you should have been in my house!" He exclaimed. I laughed as we sat down to finalize the details.

* * *

I practically danced back to the common room a while later. I was so proud that I was doing well enough to be advanced, as well as overjoyed I would be getting a chance to learn even more about my favorite subject. Professor Flitwick was getting me special permission to use magic over the summer so that I could learn the spells my new classmates had learned this year. He had also given me permission to owl him whenever I'd like, if I had a question or if I just came across something in a book I may like to discuss.

I cheerily gave the password to the common room to the Fat Lady, before freezing in the doorway at the sight before me.

Fred was red in the face, yelling at Teddy as Teddy tried to stop him from leaving. All around the room my cousins and James were sitting around, looking shattered. I was stunned to see James crying, as well as several of my female cousins.

"Why the bloody hell shouldn't she get to know?! We know where she is, its not like Flitwick would mind if we interrupted them to tell her that her father had just been attacked!" Fred was screaming. My mind went numb. My father?

"Hell. Phoenix listen," Teddy said as he noticed me standing there, dropping Fred's arms as he started to walk towards me.

"My father?" I asked him.

"He and Uncle Ron were attacked on a Auror mission. They're in St Mungo's. We're not allowed to go see them until Saturday, so we were just going to wait to tell you until you got back."

"You were going to wait until she got back," Fred muttered, receiving a glare from Teddy for it.

"You…you all knew, and you weren't going to tell me right away? How bad is it Teddy?" I asked, trying not to cry. Perhaps in any other family the fact that they weren't going to tell me, at least not right away, wouldn't seem like quite as big of a deal, but in my family we _always_ told each other what was going on. Maybe it just came from being a war family, but we never kept things from each other.

"They're…they're not well off Phoenix. I'm sorry. I just-"

I didn't wait around to hear what Teddy had to say. Instead I turned and sprinted back down the corridor and didn't stop running until I reached the Quidditch Pitch.

I threw open the shed we kept our brooms in, hardly even noticing it was storming. It had been for the past few days, so the weather barely even registered in my mind as I kicked off from the ground. I flew around as fast as I could, seeing how fast I could stop, just letting off steam, until suddenly a huge lightning bolt struck just in front of me.

I screamed and slipped sideways off my broom. I grabbed for it, but my eyes were still so blurred by tears that I missed.

And then I was falling.

I screamed as the ground got closer and closer, until I was mere feet from it and I squeezed my eyes shut.

There was no impact.

I opened my eyes to meet one very angry Jay Wood.

He set me on the ground before flying off to find my broomstick. I was still sobbing about my father and Uncle, and now the fact that I had nearly just died was making it worse. I watched as Jay flew back, clutching my broomstick and still looking very pissed.

"Phoenix Annette Potter! What kind of rubbish was that! Are you bloody suicidal, why the hell are you flying around in this weather? Do you even know how scared I was when I saw you fall? You're my best bloody friend what am I-Phoenix are you okay? Oh bloody hell of course you're not okay, you just fell a few hundred feet off a broomstick, but why are you even out here?"

I stuttered out my story to him, watching as he grew less angry with me, and angrier with Teddy. By the time I had finished there was a fire burning in the scot's eyes.

"He tells you that, makes you cry, then lets you run off? I ought to…" He trailed off, muttering soft threats as I tried to calm him down.

"F-first, Teddy's like…way ol-older than you. Second, s-stop looking at me like that!" I half yelled before sobbing again as he wrapped his arms around me. We stood like that, absolutely soaked, until I stopped crying.

"Thanks Jay," I whispered.

"Don't worry about it. Now, lets put these broomsticks up so that we can head over to see Madame Scamander. I want to make sure I didn't bruise you up when I caught you, plus I'd like some pepper up so we don't get sick from standing out in this storm," Jay said, taking my hand and guiding me back towards the shed.

Luna dreamily gave us a few potions before warning us to watch out for Muddied Murls and sending us on our way. We walked hand-in-hand back to the common room, still dripping wet. We opened the door to find the room much like we had left it, only now Fred was laying knocked out on the floor, hopefully by hex, and Teddy had a large bruise across his face.

I ignored Ted as I rushed over to Fred. I sighed gratefully as I realized he had only been Stunned. Jay walked over and revived him.

"I swear I'll…Merlin Nix, why are you all wet?" Fred asked sinking back into the floor he had just sprung up off of.

"She decided to go for a fall-I mean, flight," Jay answered, ignoring my glare.

I heard several gasps from behind me as Teddy, James and Fred asked, "You fell off your broom?"

Ignoring the former two, I answered the latter with nod. Immediately he began looking me over, stopping only when he had satisfied that I wasn't injured.

"Well, I'm a rather tired, and still processing everything, so I'm going to go to bed before everything hits. Night Fred, Jay," With that I walked up to my dorm, ignoring all the rest. I felt a bit badly for ignoring James since he was still crying, but it hadn't escaped my notice that Fred was the _only one_ trying to tell me.

I decided that the rest of them could bloody well shove it until my Dad and Uncle got better, and I got a chance to get revenge.

It was about time Fred and I showed everyone the "prankster twins" they were queuing for.

* * *

 **Hmm…naughty language children. Someone needs brush their teeth with a bar of soap.**

 **Now, for anyone who may have thought Phoenix was being just a bit over dramatic over her family not telling her right away, I agree, but we have to remember that Phoenix is 11, and had just found out her father had been attacked. Also, it would make sense that they wouldn't keep many things from each other in their family, so it probably just hit twice as hard.**

 **So, what will happen to Harry and Ron? Will both live, die, or perhaps one or the other? Guess we'll have to wait and see!**

 **Also, I realize that healer probably wasn't Luna's intended profession, but I just couldn't resist throwing her into this story. I absolutely adore Luna!**

 **So, here's a nice long chapter to make up for the long wait and the short chapter last time.**

 **As always, thank you for reviewing, following, favoriting, and reading.**

 **Enjoy!**


	6. Revenge Is a Dish Best Personalized

**Author's Note: I still don't own Harry Potter; all rights go to the wonderful and talented J.K. Rowling. If I owned it, Remus would have told Harry everything long before they ran into Sirius.**

* * *

 **Revenge Is A Dish Best Personalized**

* * *

I woke up early the next morning. I took a shower while the other girls were still asleep so they wouldn't hear me crying. Then I snuck into the first year boys' dorm.

It wasn't hard to determine which bed was Fred's. There were posters of motorcycles and dragons on the walls around it, a transfiguration book on the nightstand, and half a dozen motorcycle magazines on the floor around it. I pulled open the curtains and jumped lightly on top of him.

I clapped my hand over his mouth before he could shout. He stared at me with wide eyes for a moment before yanking me under the covers with him.

"Good morning, favorite cousin of mine," He whispered.

"Good morning. I have a proposition for you, care to join me for breakfast?"

"I would love to. I'll meet you down in the common room in ten," He muttered with a crooked grin. I snuck back out of the dorm, nicking one of his magazines on my way. I was reading it when he came down the stairs ten minutes later.

"You like that one?" He asked. I nodded. "You can borrow it if you want, I read it already. So, breakfast?"

I stuck the magazine in my bag and we walked down to breakfast. The table was empty save Teddy's dormmates and a few girls in Molly and Dom's year.

"So, lets hear this proposition of yours," Fred said as he buttered a piece of toast.

"I'm thinking that I want revenge. Teach them not to keep things from us. But I don't want to do it until after my Dad and Uncle Ron are doing better. I don't want it to be anything cruel, but I do want to be able to laugh about it. And I want pictures."

Fred grinned at me, "So, what are you thinking? Dyed hair and skin spots? Something flashy and maybe itchy? Or…?"

I smirked at him, shaking my head and clucking my tongue lightly, "Oh Fred. Think bigger. Think bold. What if, instead of doing the same thing to all of them, we thought of something… _special_ …for each of them?"

Fred was now grinning from ear-to-ear.

"I love the way you think. What's our plan?" He asked.

"Well, the first thing we'll need to take care of is apologies and forgiveness. We have to make sure they never see this one coming. We'll let them all apologize, accept, you'll apologize to Teddy for hitting him, and then we'll wait until they stop walking on pins and needles around us. Perhaps we can have our prank extend from the last day of school to after we've arrived at King's Cross? Then both our fellow students, and the parents will get to appreciate our handiwork. Plus that will leave us plenty of time for some _serious_ research."

Fred stared at me with wide eyes before muttering, "You would have made a good Slytherin."

I smirked at him again. "If I were anyone else that would be an insult, but between my godmother and Aunt Hermione I'm taking that as a compliment."

He simply raised an eyebrow at me before sipping his tea. We finished our breakfast in silence, then I pulled out the magazine to wait. It wasn't long before our family began arriving.

I pulled out a piece of toast as though I had only just sat down. Across from me, Fred did the same.

I wasn't surprised when Teddy all but flung himself into the seat next to me.

"Phoenix, I'm so, so sorry. I know we should have come and told you right away, I was just upset and wasn't thinking clearly. Please forgive me?" He begged.

I turned to look at him. "Teddy, I was really angry at first, but I get it. I forgive you." And it was true; I did forgive him. I just planned on making sure nothing like it ever happened again.

"We're sorry too, Phoenix," Vic said softly from behind him.

"I forgive you lot as well," I replied.

"Hey, Ted, sorry about hitting you last night. I was just upset and lashed out," Fred said, shame-faced. I knew he felt badly about hitting Teddy, but he was a damned good actor all the same.

Teddy immediately accepted his apology before he and the threw in a few of our own. Shortly after that the whole family was gathered around, talking about Uncle Ron and my Dad. I stuck around to see if they knew anything more than what they had told me last night, but when it became apparent that all they had was theories on what could have happened to them, I decided I couldn't listen to it and Fred and I headed for the library.

* * *

"Hey Nix, I was thinking, I know we were thinking about doing something on Vic's face, but we're doing that for Dom too, and I think I just found something better," Fred whispered from across our table in the library. We had been researching for about a week or so, and Vic was proving to be a bit tricky to bother. Interested, I put my book down and gave him my full attention. Seeing that I was listening, Fred continued, "I just came across this charm earlier that makes someone write in gibberish. I didn't think much of it, because on its own it's not a particularly great prank. But then I came across this charm, "He slid his book across the table for me to look at as he spoke, "which forces someone to speak gibberish. They're relatively simple, and it looks like we could modify it to be one spell. I thought it would be great because Vic always works to prove that she's more than just looks, but brains as well. She always comes across so smart, imagine how funny it would be to hear her sound like a total prat for a while!"

By now I was grinning from ear to ear. "Do you think we could modify it to make her sound like the stereotype blonde?"

"I was hoping you'd ask! I think we should be able to," Fred exclaimed before lowering his voice drastically as Madam Pince shushed him loudly. We both giggled as she gave him the evil eye before returning to our work.

* * *

We were allowed to go see my father and Uncle Ron later that evening.

"Dad!" I yelled as I tore through the hospital, James hot on my heels. Teddy ran just behind us, shouting apologies at the people we shoved past. Directly behind him followed the Hogwarts Weasleys. We had been in the lobby for just long enough to receive a room number, then we took off.

We rushed into the room to see my Dad sitting up, laughing, and Uncle Ron holding Rosie and Hugh in his lap.

Dad turned to look at us, his face bruised, but overall seemingly alright.

"Hi kids!" Uncle Ron yelled with a grin. James immediately tackled Dad in a tight hug, but I couldn't seem to move from the doorway.

"Phoenix. They're okay. It's okay," Teddy whispered in my ear.

I burst into tears.

The adults in the room looked horrified. Teddy quickly snaked his arm around my waist and carried me over to my Dad like that. Dad pulled me into his lap.

"It's okay, we're both fine Phoenix. Merlin, what did they tell you?" Dad asked me softly. It took all of my self-control not to sob out "nothing". The guilty look on Teddy's face told me he was thinking the same thing.

We spent a while with our family, talking and enjoying getting to be together. Finally, just before we were about to leave, Teddy asked the question we had all been wondering.

"Dad…Uncle Ron…what happened?"

Dad sighed and put his head in his hands. It was Uncle Ron who finally spoke.

"We were following a lead we had received. It was supposed to be just a quick scout-ahead. We were extremely careful. We had just sent a patronus to let everyone know it was a false lead when we were attacked. They hit us from behind. I don't even know where they came from! We had just secured the room! Damnthey moved fast…"

He trailed off, so Teddy spoke up again, "What about what Susan Bones said? About them not being human?"

This time it was Dad who spoke up, "They had on masks, and cloaks. We didn't ever actually see them. But they way they moved, the way they did magic…wordlessly and wandlessly…there was something…off about it. And they were practically radiating power…almost like-"

"That's enough," Grandma Weasley spoke suddenly. We all groaned, disappointed at not being told more, but Dad jumped, almost as though he had forgotten he we were there.

We chatted for a little while longer, Dad seeming very distant the whole time. He finally snapped out of it just as we were walking to the floo, kissing us all on the forehead as we passed him. Teddy had to pull Lily off of his legs about four times, Grandma Weasley kept grabbing everyone to give more kisses, and Aunt Hermione kept stopping us to give us advice on our exams until finally Aunt Fleur began herding us into the floo and we left.

We returned to the castle practically shaking with relief.

They were okay.

* * *

"Hey Nix, so I couldn't sleep last night, and I had this crazy idea!" Fred whisper-shouted as he skidded to a halt in front of me in the library. "It was crazy because I know they said-and, I know the fire…but I thought I would try it and-well, come on!" With that he dragged me out of the library, dodging people as we sped down the corridor, until we were on the 7th floor.

"Fred…" I whispered in awe as we stopped in front of the painting of Barnabas the Barmy. "No bloody way…"

Fred winked as he paced back and forth three times, and the wall opposite the painting began to melt into a door. He laughed at my awestruck expression before throwing open the door. Inside the room there was a perfect potions room. I laughed before throwing my arms around him.

"This is SO perfect Fred!"

"Tested it out, we can use this our whole time at Hogwarts for studying and practicing spells if you want. The only thing is, the room that your Dad and them blew up? If you ask for it, the room just gives you a sign on the wall that says "Out of Order". So we can't get in there."

"Fred who cares! You're a genius!" I squealed again. He laughed again before picking me up and spinning me around.

* * *

"Fred!" I shouted, tearing down the corridor, throwing people out of my way as I went. "Fred!" I practically tackled him to the ground as I finally found him, "I found it!" I whisper-shouted, throwing a book towards his face. "I found one for Teddy! And it's _perfect_!"

Fred beamed as he led me toward the Room of Requirement. Teddy had been proving to be our most difficult prank-ee, but I had just solved that problem.

* * *

"Hey Vic, can I play with your hair?" I asked a few nights later. She nodded and I sat behind her on the sofa while she studied for exams. I carefully plaited part of her hair back, giving her a gorgeous, almost fae-like look. Dom glanced up from her book and immediately asked me to do hers.

A few minutes later I was opening my DADA book to study, grinning as I slipped a few blonde hairs in each of my pockets.

* * *

"Hey Phoenix. Ready for our flight?" Jay asked after classes.

"Of course!" I shouted back. I felt a bit guilty; I hadn't been spending nearly as much time with Jay while planning my prank with Fred. He was a good sport about it, though I think he wrote it off more to exams coming up then to the prank he didn't know about.

He watched me like a hawk for the first hour. I ignored it for as long as I could, but finally I sped down the field towards him as fast as I could before coming to a complete halt and pretending to pitch forward off my broom.

I heard Jay shout as I flew straight at him. He caught me when I landed practically on top of him.

"Care to quit stalking me, Wood? I know I'm good looking and all, but I thought you were engaged to Quidditch or something!" I teased.

Jay turned bright red and stuttered out an apology. We flew like usual after that, passing the Quaffle between ourselves and pulling crazy stunts to try and one up each other. After that we walked to dinner together, talking and laughing.

* * *

"Professor Slughorn?" Fred asked, late one night as he opened the door.

"Yes my dear boy? What do you two need?" Slughorn asked.

"Well, first of all we wanted to thank you for the invitation to your latest party. We really enjoyed going to them this year," I said sweetly.

"Well of course, dear girl, what with you two being some of my best students, well, ever, plus coming from such an amazing family, how could I not invite you?" Slughorn responded, giving us a little wink as he opened to door wider to let us in.

We both grinned at him as Fred said, "Thank you, sir. Also, we had a question about a potion we came across in a book in the library."

Slughorn gave us a curious look until I pulled out _101 Potions For Aspiring Potion Masters_ As soon as he saw the title his face broke out into a broad smile.

"Oh ho ho! Well I'm always happy to answer questions for the best Potions students in their year!"

I gave him a sweet smile, "Thank you so much sir! We just were wondering, on this potion here, if you added more moonshine and a bit of unicorn hair, wouldn't it brew nearly three times faster?"

Slughorn looked at the potion I was pointing at.

"I do believe you may be right!" He said, his smile growing impossibly wider.

"Professor," Fred asked excitedly, "Do you think, after exams are finished…"

I finished for him just as eagerly, "Do you think, perhaps, we could try it? Its just…I know we aren't supposed to brew on our own, and it requires magic so we wouldn't be able to brew it at home…" Or, basically, we couldn't just brew it in the Room of Requirement because Aunt Hermione had increased laws on Magical Animal rights, and unicorn tail hairs were now almost impossible to get, unless you were a professional Potion Master…or a Potions teacher.

"Of course dear children! As soon as you're done with exams you can come get started! Then it should be ready about…two days before the end of school!" He beamed…again.

"Thank you so much sir! Also, we were thinking, perhaps, if the potion turns out right, that you may like to sell it to my Dad? He's always buying potions for his store, if they're done correctly, and he pays a decent price. We would do it ourselves, but, of course, but you have to have a Potions permit to sell, plus we thought it could be a thank you, for letting us try this, you know?" Fred asked shyly.

"Of course! Sounds like an excellent idea!" Slughorn said as he bounced us over to the door. We left, nodding, grinning and thanking him profusely, until he finally shut the door and we sagged in relief.

"Thank Merlin. If I never have to suck up like that again it would be too soon," Fred groaned before smirking at me in triumph.

"I do believe, Freddy dearest, that that's what we'd call a victory."

* * *

The exams were a breeze. Despite being busy with our prank, Fred and I had spent a _lot_ of time studying, and that, combined with our extra Transfiguration and Potions classes, had left us very confident. I had known nearly every question on the spot, and those that I didn't I could remember after a moment or two.

When I spoke to Fred I found that his had gone the same way. The others were slightly less confident, but thought they had done decently. Whenever Fred and I weren't planning or going to extra classes we had studying with James, Roxy, Lucy, Lana, and Ross Techen, a boy in Fred and James' dorm. Fred and I were careful to spend as much time with our other friends as possible. We didn't want anyone to get suspicious, and, more importantly, we didn't want to lose our friends.

* * *

"Hey Molly!" I called, walking into the 3rd year dorms early one morning, I plopped down on her bed, taking her book and glancing at the cover.

"Hey Phoe! Do you need something?" Molly asked.

"Yeah, my dormmates are taking _forever_ in the shower, and I was wondering if I could use yours?"

"Oh of course!" Molly responded.

"Hey, Phoenix, while you're in there you should look at some of my make-up! We're probably about the same skin tone!" Dom yelled from her place on her bed.

Much to her obvious surprise, I agreed. I walked out a while later with some mascara on, a lipstick smirk, and some empty bottles transfigured into hairpins in my pocket.

* * *

"Did you give Teddy the drink?"

"Yeah. Did you get the book and make-up?"

"Yep. Did you get Roxy?"

"She never even noticed. Vic?"

"It should kick in first thing tomorrow. James?"

"Piece of cake. And you took care of Lucy right?"

"All taken care of. See you in the morning Freddy…"

"See you in the morning."

* * *

Fred and I were sitting in the Great Hall for breakfast when everyone suddenly grew silent.

Giggles and whispers spread across the Hall as I calmly sipped my tea. Across from me, Fred continued to butter his toast.

"What. Did. You. _Do_?" Teddy asked furiously as he sat down into the seat next to me.

"Teddy dearest, whatever do you mean?" I asked, turning to look at him sweetly.

Teddy looked perfectly normal, but behind him my poor family looked like the Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes threw up on them.

Dom's face was wrinkled and her lips were blue. Victoire was babbling about a pair of green shoes to Molly, who had her nose buried in a book, looking remarkably like her father. Roxy was glaring at me through a curtain of short red hair. She quite literally looked to be Fred's twin. And a boy at that. James was busy trying to keep his hood up over his bald head. Lucy was spinning like a ballerina, something we knew she would be able to do because her mum made her take 8 years of ballet.

Fred and I couldn't help but crack up. The rest of our hall echoed our laughter, and soon our family joined in as well.

* * *

Teddy and our family pestered us all day. Our cousins and siblings because they wanted their pranks undone, and Teddy because he wanted to know what we had done to him.

Still, Fred and I managed to ignore their pleas and finish packing. After we were done we all went to sit by the lake, Lucy entertaining us with her dancing, Roxy doing hilarious imitations of Fred, Jay asking me all about how we pulled of the pranks (lots of potions, charms, and a little transfiguration), and Teddy and Vic kept sneaking off every once and a while. Fred and I couldn't help but smirk each time they did it.

* * *

"Just tell us when it wears off!" Dom begged as we waited for the train the next day. "It's already been a day!"

"Fine. It will wear off at 3:45," Fred told her.

" _3:45_?" James asked in horror, "But that's after the train has arrived!"

I winked at him as we stepped up onto the train.

* * *

We spent the ride back playing exploding snap and taking pictures. Fred and I now had _lots_ of pictures. As we neared the station I checked the time with a simple spell.

"Ah good, we're right on time," I said approvingly.

"Course we are Phoenix…we always are," Teddy said, cautiously.

I merely winked at him, a habit I found myself picking up from Fred.

We got off the train, all the others trying to hide whatever we had pranked. Poor Lucy didn't have a chance, she only stopped dancing when she sat or laid down, nor did Molly, who's reading followed the same rules. When we finally reached the parents they were staring at us suspiciously. We all stood, or in Lucy's case, spun, until finally Dom sighed and pulled back her hood. My godmother gasped. Before she could say anything though, Vic opened her mouth and started talking about a set of make-up. Then James and Roxy yanked back their hoods. Molly kept her face shoved in a book. Lucy continued to spin.

"Who…who did this?" Uncle Percy asked. Grinning, Fred bowed and I curtsied.

"I…I can't believe you two…" Uncle George whispered. "I'M SO PROUD OF YOU!" He shouted, scooping Fred and I up into a hug. The grin on Fred's face said it all, for his dad could hardly bear to do stuff like this most of the time.

"Wait," Dad said suddenly. "Why is Teddy normal?"

I knew my grin matched the positively evil one spreading across Fred's face. "Oh he's about to be anything but normal. In fact…" I cast the time spell again, and saw it was 3:34, "It should kick in any minute now. You see, we made a potion. And, thanks to this potion, any time Teddy snogged Vicky, from yesterday morning to now, he will turn a little green. The greener the Teddy, the…well you get the idea really. And Ted? Metamorphis powers don't work."

Teddy was white, right down to his hair, but the rest of my family was virtually doubled over with laughter. With the exception of Uncle Bill, of course. I don't think any of us were expecting Teddy to turn _quite_ so green though. After that, even though our cousins and siblings went back to normal, our welcome home party wasn't quite as great as we had expected. But with Uncle Bill trying to kill Teddy every five minutes that was understandable.

Though, Uncle George thought it was great.

Fred and I did too.

* * *

 **Year one! Over! Done! I can't believe it! I hope no one minded me skipping around a bit, but there's only so much a normal (albeit possibly unusually powerful) child can do in their first year. Anyways, hope everyone enjoyed it!**

 **Now, one thing I tried to make clear is, Fred and Phoenix aren't pranking to be mean. Perhaps when Phoenix first came up with the plan that may have been her intention, but it was only intended to be funny after she had a chance to cool down. Blame her brash Gryff/red-head/Weasley side for this. Hopefully this was clear with the writing, but I wanted to make it clear if not.**

 **Pretty speedy update this time yeah?**

 **Thanks to all my reviewers, followers, favoriters, and, of course, readers!**

 **And,** laxgirl1415 **: Your reviews make my day! This chapter's for you!**

 **Enjoy!**


	7. Quidditch, Quidditch, And More Quidditch

**Author's Note: Hope everyone liked last chapter and enjoyed year one! Year two will probably skip around again, as will year three, but year four is really going to be the start of some action. Year one was probable longer than year two or three will be, since the goal was to introduce personalities and such in year one.**

 **This year:**

 **Teddy is now in his last year at Hogwarts! Boo.**

 **Vic is in her 6th.**

 **Dom and Molly are in their 4th.**

 **Jay is in his 3rd.**

 **Lucy, Roxy, James, Fred and Phoenix are in their 2nd.**

 **Al, Rose, Louis, and Scorpius will be starting their 1st year.**

 **Lily and Hugo still have another year. Poor babies of the family.**

 **All rights to Harry Potter go to J.K. Rowling. If I owned it, Fred and George would have made "Draco Pops", which turned whoever ate it into a ferret.**

* * *

 **Quidditch, Quidditch, and More Quidditch**

* * *

"Phoenix! Phoeeeenix!" A voice called. I ignored it as I flew towards the ring at the end of my yard. I threw the Quaffle in my arms as hard as I could, and watched with satisfaction as it shot through the hoop. Smirking, I flipped the broom around and flew towards the source of the voice.

"Hey Al. Sorry, I've been trying to get that move down for the past hour and just did. Did you need something?" I asked him, ruffling his hair.

He quickly fixed it (like it made it look any tidier) before speaking, "Yeah, Jay is here."

He hardly finished speaking before I was throwing him out of the way, sprinting towards the house.

"JAY!" I screamed, spotting my best friend standing in my living room. He cracked up, moving in front of him mum so he could catch me as I all but tackled him in a hug.

"'Lo Phoe," He chuckled. I pulled away to look at him. He had definitely gotten taller, something that seemed to be common with all my friends. I, on the other hand, hadn't grown an inch. He also had a tan to rival mine, and his arms showed that I wasn't the only on who spent their summer working on Quidditch throws.

"Merlin Phoenix, you're darker than I am!" He echoed my thoughts. I laughed, then tried not to freak out as I realized his parents were standing behind him. He rolled his eyes as he noticed my reaction. "Come on, if I can get used to being around _Harry Potter_ then you can get used to being around my parents."

It was true, over the course of the summer he had been around enough that we were now on a first name-bases with each other's parents. Still, his parents were _Oliver and Alicia Wood_. You can't blame me for freaking out occasionally. Or all the time.

"Sorry," I blushed. Jay just grinned and flipped his arm over my shoulder, dragging us both down onto the couch. I turned to beam at him. "I'm so glad you're back! I missed you!"

"I missed you too, but Scotland was great! Maybe after we graduate we can go together," Jay replied.

I nodded enthusiastically, the listened as he began describing every aspect of their trip. Our parents were exchanging those looks again, like they were in on some sort of secret, but I ignored it. I'm _twelve_ for Merlin's sake! And he's _Jay_. My best friend and a 3rd year.

"So, how has Charms been coming?" Jay asked me.

"Great! I've pretty much got it all down; I'm just having a bit of trouble with Glo Charms. I've got a light, but it's more of a torch-light than a glow."

"Oh, a lot of people had that problem in our class. It's actually kind of funny, the reason it's not coming out right is because you're putting too much power into it. Just-" He was cut off as James suddenly dropped over the back of the couch and in between Jay and I.

"Hey Jay," James grinned.

"Hey James! How have you been mate?"

"Awesome! So you know how you told me to hex the tennis ball so I could practice seeking? It totally worked!"

"Really? That's great! Oh hey Al."

"Hey Jay! Budge up a bit there Phoe. How was Scotland?"

"It was awesome! We got to-"

"Hey Jay! How was Scotland?"

"Hey Ted! It was brilliant! I was just telling Al about it."

"Really? Well tell away. Move over Phoenix."

"Jay! Jay!"

"Hey Lily! Oh, well climb on up then, make yourself at home."

"Lily get off of Jay."

"Fine, scoot over you lot!"

Thoroughly pissed off, I glanced up from my new place on the floor. None of my family seemed to notice as they chatted to MY best friend. I had thought it was great that Jay got along with my family for all of about 10 minutes, but it soon got irritating.

Angry, I stood up, but not even Jay noticed. I flipped my hair and stormed outside, only to smack into my current favorite person in the world.

"Freddy!" I squealed, flinging my arms around him. He laughed, picking me up and swinging me around.

"Hey Nix! I thought Jay was here, why are you leaving?"

"Well after I was shoved off the bloody couch and no one noticed I determined my presence was no longer wanted, so I left," I said grumpily.

"Aw, come on now. You're letting that little red-haired, green eyed monster take over," Fred said, putting his arms around my shoulders and looking at my face.

I turned my face away like a petulant child. "I am a little red-haired, green eyed monster."

He sighed. "Yeah I know. Quick to be angry, quick to be jealous."

I whipped my head towards him with a glare. "That's not what-" But I stopped as he began to laugh.

"I know Nix, I'm just winding you up."

I continued to glare at him, but soon I couldn't control my laughter either.

"There's my favorite smile! Come on, the others went round the back to go swimming in the pond. We'll go say hi, then see if Jay's noticed you're gone by then."

Liking his plan, I followed him into my backyard. I greeted all my cousins, though I had just seen most of them recently, then went back inside with Fred.

As soon as we walked in James jumped up to say hi to Freddy. Lily and Al ran out at my confirmation that our cousins were here, while Ted took a bit longer to tell Jay 'just how great it was to see him again' before leaving in search of Vic. I turned and looked out the window.

"Hey, where did you go?" Jay asked, walking up and wrapping his arms around my waist. He tried to turn me around, but I refused to budge.

"There wasn't any room on the couch, and you were busy, so I went to see if anyone else had arrived while we had been talking," I muttered, still facing out the window.

He leaned in close, his breath tickling my ear, and whispered, "Jealous?"

I spun around, outraged, when I realized that he was doubled over, shaking with laughter. "What is it with people today?" I cried, throwing up my hands and preparing to storm outside again.

He grabbed my arm and turned me around, still chuckling. "Hey, hey. I'm sorry." I glared at him until he stopped laughing. "No really, sorry."

I sighed, and he put his arms around me again. "You alright Phoe?"

I nodded against his chest. "Just tired."

"Hey lovebirds! If we wanted a show we would have gone to find Vic and Ted!" My idiot twin called suddenly. Jay and I sprang apart, and I turned to yell at James.

"We're _just friends_ James! Bugger off!"

James ran out of the house laughing, and Fred winked at me before following. Jay crinkled his nose up, pulling a face, and we walked out for dinner laughing our heads off, all traces of grumpiness gone.

My best friend was back, and I couldn't be happier.

* * *

Our trip to King's Cross Station contained neither news of a missing person nor murderous fathers, which was something we were all grateful for (though Teddy and Vic were particularly grateful for the latter).

The Sorting Hat ceremony started off normally, but about midway through, Scorpius Malfoy walked up to the stool, sat down, had the hat set on his head…

And was placed in Gryffindor.

The silence was deafening. There had _never_ been a Malfoy in Gryffindor. Or anywhere else but Slytherin, for that matter.

Then I remembered the Sorting Hat's words to me, and, with ' _you could do just fine in any house'_ ringing in my ears, I let out a whoop and started to clap for the first ever Gryffindor Malfoy.

The other Gryffs were further stunned by my response, but I _was_ a Potter, so they gave Malfoy a lukewarm round of applause before falling silent again.

I slid over, giving Malfoy a place to sit. I had purposely sat on the end so I could sit next to my family members, should they be put in Gryffindor, so there was plenty of room for him to sit down.

He stared at me shyly for a moment before whispering, "Thank you." James and a few of our cousins had been listening in, and they looked stunned. I was a bit surprised myself, but I didn't let it show as I stuck out my hand.

"Phoenix Potter."

"Scorpius Malfoy."

With that I patted the kid on the head, then turned my attention back to the front as they called Al's name.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

To my complete and utter shock, Al rushed over to the seat next to me, shoving himself between Malfoy and me, and flung his arms around my waist.

"Thank you, thank you so much Phoe!" He whispered.

"Um, Al, I love you, but I think you're getting me and Mum mixed up. If you're wanting to thank someone for being in Gryffindor, it would be her and Dad."

But Al shook his head at me. "No, Phoenix, I met Scorp on the train, and he told me he wanted to be in Gryffindor, but he was scared no one would accept him. I'm thanking you for proving me right about you."

I was touched. "You-you told him that I would be the one to accept him?"

He grinned at me, before leaning in and whispering, "I told him you were the sweetest, most loyal person I knew, and that you would accept anyone put in Gryffindor."

"Aw, Al, that's so-"

"So basically I told him you should have been a Puff." Al finished with a smirk that I would have been proud of, had it been directed at someone else.

"You git!" I squealed, giving him a playful shove. Suddenly I realized that Rosie was sitting across from Al and Louis was sitting next to her.

"Oh Merlin, sorry Rosie, Lou, congrats! You too Al, Malfoy," I rushed out apologetically. Rosie just snorted, while Louis examined his golden spoon with much interest.

 _Cousins._

On the other side of Al, Malfoy leaned over to speak to me.

"You can call me Scorpius, or Scorp, if you'd rather."

"Okay then Scorp, you can call me Phoenix, or Phoe, if you'd rather," I mimicked, giving him a wink. He smiled at me, and it was then that I noticed he was the last one on our side of the bench. Crammed onto Louis and Rose's side, however, were about 5 or 6 new first years.

"Oh, you lot, quit being pricks and move on over here. He's not going to bite you, though if he did he'd have a good reason. Our parents fought in the war to get rid of prejudices, not to shift them onto a different group of people!"

A first year glanced up at me then. He was rather large, probably at least a foot taller than me and all muscle. I didn't like the looks of him.

"Oh, so you're saying that the you agree with Minister Hastings and that all Death Eaters should be released?" He drawled.

"That's not at all what she meant, you little git. Obviously she's saying that we shouldn't hate people for who their parents are, because that's exactly what the _Death Eaters_ were doing in the war," Fred spoke up from across from me. Thank Merlin; I was starting to get worried he was upset that I had clapped for Mal-Scorpius.

The kid just rolled his eyes, but a few of the other first years got up, shame-faced, to move next to Scorpius. Both he and Al were eying me gratefully, and I gave them a slight wink.

When the feast was finally over, Ted and Vic (the Headboy and a Prefect, our mums awed at that, though I didn't find it all that adorable) called the first years to walk them up to the Common Room. The rest of the Great Hall followed suit, and I stuck close with Jay, unsure of how the others were feeling towards me after I stuck up for Scorpius.

Jay, on the other hand, simply glanced down at me (why is everyone _so tall?_ ) and said, "I'm proud of you," before taking my hand and walking towards the Common Room. I noticed Roxy eying our joint hands before smirking at me. I took this as a sign she wasn't too unhappy with me.

See, as much as I preached against prejudices, they were hard to be totally rid of. Uncle George _hated_ Death Eaters, which was understandable since they killed his twin, Teddy hated them because they murdered his parents, Dad hated them for the same reason, as well as his godfather, Teddy's parents, Uncle Fred, and many more, Mum and all her other brothers lost a brother, Uncle Bill was mauled by a werewolf working as a Death Eater, Aunt Fleur lost a cousin, Aunt Angelina lost her older brother, and even Aunt Penelope, Uncle Percy's wife, had been tortured by them just for being muggle born. Everyone had some reason to hate the Death Eaters, and try as we may not to let it carry over to their children, sometimes it was hard not to. We had grown up hearing the name Malfoy being included in the list of murderers and torturers, and it was a hard thing just to drop on a dime. Just earlier today I had heard Uncle Ron whispering to Rosie about how she should try and beat Scorp in everything, and while Aunt Hermione scolded him she didn't really say anything against his words. I knew my family would come around, but some, like James who was currently trying to burn holes in my back with his eyes, would take longer than others.

When we reached the Common Room, Vic, Teddy, Al, Scorpius, and Louis were waiting on the couch for us. Upon seeing us Teddy stood and pointed to the stairs leading to the boys dorms.

"Family only, sorry Jay."

Jay gave my hand a squeeze before dropping it and moving towards the couch.

"S'alright, I'll just wait down here with Malfoy. You like Quidditch kid?"

I smiled, relieved that Jay had apparently noticed Scorpius' not wanting to go up to his dorm without Al. Ted gave a slight nod before moving towards the staircase. We followed him up there, per usual, but were surprised to find him walk right past his dorm and towards the end of the corridor.

"Um, Teddy? Where are we going?" Dom asked.

"I'm headboy Dom. I get a special room," He called over his shoulder. When we reached the end of the corridor Teddy pulled off his badge, holding it and his hand up against the wall. Immediately the wall turned into a door, and we entered his room.

"Don't you have a password?" Vic asked as we took in the huge room.

"I haven't set it yet, but I was thinking about making it 'Constant Vigilance'," Teddy said, and we all laughed at the old family joke. Ted waved his hand around the room, and we all quickly settled down on the floor. Teddy sat on his bed, as usual, and Vic sat behind him, her head on his shoulder.

I was extremely pleased to find Roxy sitting next to me as well as Fred. Al glanced at us, then at some of our less friendly family members, before ever so rudely shoving me into Freddy's lap. Fred laughed at my indignant snort before placing me on the floor next to him.

We sat in silence for a few moments before, to no one's surprise, James spoke up.

"How can you two defend him like that? His dad _murdered_ Professor Dumbledore, his dad's aunt _tortured_ Aunt Hermione and Neville Longbottom's parents, tried to kill Grandma Weasley and Mum, and _killed_ Uncle Sirius!"

"His dad did not murder Dumbledore, he couldn't do it remember? And his grandmum saved Dad! And his dad's aunt was bloody insane, everyone knows that," Al countered.

"Yeah, I've heard it runs in the family," Rose responded nastily.

"Death Eater lovers," Lucy scoffed.

Molly gave us a half-hearted glare. She was more of a peaceful being.

"We're the Death Eater lovers? Seems to me like you lot would get along with them better," Rox snapped.

"Alright guys," Teddy tried to call order, but he was ignored.

"Well at least we wouldn't get along with them even if we could," James sneered.

"Oh and you're saying we would?" Fred asked. I was struggling to keep my mouth shut, but if this got too out of hand I didn't want to get in trouble with the parents.

"Alright guys, calm down," Vic tried, but she too was ignored.

"I don't know, seems like it to me," Dom said snootily.

"Yeah? Cause I'm still thinking you and they would get along better," Al snapped angrily.

"You lot probably just want to play goody-two-shoes. Preaching 'we should be friends with everyone guys!' so that everyone thinks you're even more bloody perfect," Louis spoke finally.

"Shut up Louis," Fred growled.

"Guys, this is getting out of hand," I tried.

"Oh hush, you started this, if you're not going to stand behind your decision you can keep your midget self out of this," Rose said.

I heard Fred say something sarcastic about her insult being 'real original'. What? I wasn't _that_ short, was I? I mean, Rose is a year younger than me! I have to be taller than her. And even if I'm not yet, Mum says my growth spurt is just taking a little time…

Suddenly I realized Teddy was talking.

"-Scorpius is just a kid James, and he hasn't done anything to us. What would Dad say if he heard you saying this awful crap about a kid Al's age?"

The rest of the group looked shamed, and I realized the argument was over. Everyone started to leave, and I walked along, still trying to figure out what I missed.

"You alright?" Rox asked me. Fred looked at me over his shoulder with concern, but I just nodded and kept walking. Fred gave me a one-armed hug before going into his dorm. I noticed Al standing outside his room and we stopped to wish him goodnight. Then Roxy and I walked down to the Common Room, where she glanced at Jay and told me she would meet me in our dorm in a bit.

"Hey Scorpius," I nodded absently as I flopped down on the couch, letting my head fall into Jay's lap. "Al's waiting outside your dorm for you. I think he wanted to see if he could convince the others to let you two have beds next to each other." Scorpius thanked me shyly before rushing up to his dorm, a happy smile on his face. Jay watched him go with a grin, and before he glanced down at me.

"Cute kid. Pretty…you okay?"

"Jay? Am I a midget?" I asked softly.

Jay looked completely taken aback. "What? No? You're short, but some people are just built that way. Plus, you're only 12. You'll grow, but even if you didn't you'd still be perfect either way. Why, did someone say something?"

"No…I'm fine. You think I'm perfect?" I asked him.

He blushed. _Blushed!_ Jay Wood was blushing! I needed to document this moment in history… "You don't get to change the subject that easily. But yeah, you're stubborn, hot-headed, slightly insane, _short_ , and have a wicked scary way with pranks, but you're my best friend and I think you're perfect."

Okay, now _I_ was blushing.

"Erm…thanks Jay. Um, Rose. Rose called me a midget. She was just being a bit of a bint though." I told him.

"You're _not_ a midget. Don't listen to her. So…second year…you know what that means…" Jay trailed off with a smirk.

"QUIDDITCH!" I yelled, throwing my arms up and nearly hitting him in the face since he was still leaned over my head in his lap. He laughed, throwing his hand over my mouth.

"Shh crazy! People are sleeping!" His shoulders were shaking with silent laughter. "Are you ready for tryouts?"

"Of course! I can't believe that there was a seventh year chaser last year! It's perfect! Now I just have to hope that I've worked hard enough to get the position…" I trailed off.

"Of course you have! Come on, you're brilliant and you know it," Jay said. I beamed.

"We're going to be chasers together!" I squealed. His hand went back over my mouth.

"Yes we are. Now get you skinny arse up to your dorm and go to sleep. Classes don't start until Monday and if you aren't down here, ready to practice with me at 6 sharp, I'm paying someone to throw water on you." He told me, tossing me unceremoniously out of his lap and onto the floor.

"Bossy prick," I muttered, wrapping my arms around him and turning to go up to my dorm.

"Love you too!" He yelled, loud enough to wake the whole castle. Of course, he gets to shout. I entered my dorm with my face burning.

All three of my dormmates were smirking at me.

"I'm going to kill Jay."

* * *

"I'm going to bloody strangle him!" I yelled, throwing myself onto the couch.

The reason for my frustration walked merrily into the Common Room and sat his muddy self down on top of me.

"Bloody hell Jay! Get off of me!" Jay laughed and stayed put.

"Why don't you just shove him off?" James asked.

"I would if I thought I could raise my bloody arms up to do it! I don't know why you think me not being able to lift my arms up is going to help me make the team Jay!"

"She makes a good point mate. Tryouts are in two days, she has to be able to move her arms in order to throw," Fred said wisely, flopping down next to Jay. On my _head_.

"Frmph! Groff oo bloomph pfick!" I screamed indignantly.

"You really shouldn't swear so much Phoenix. It isn't becoming," Roxy said, knocking her brother and Jay off of me and pulling me to my feet.

"Oi!" Fred yelled as he hit the floor.

"Her lips were kind of blue, I think one of you were crushing her a bit," Rox said simply.

"A bit? Those gits weight like three hundred pounds!" I whinged.

"Don't exaggerate," Roxy scolded.

I huffed, then grinned as an idea hit me. "Rox, do you want to have a sleep-over tonight?"

"What do you mean; we have a sleep-over every night?" Roxy asked.

"No, like we used to! We can invite all the cousins, steal food from the kitchens, and play truth or dare!" I said excitedly.

Dom glanced up from where she was sitting, her face lighting up, "And we can do nails, make up, and gossip!"

Well, that wasn't in my plans, but maybe it could be fun? "Sure Dom. Do you want to do it Rox?"

To my surprise, Roxanne looked ecstatic. "Yes! We haven't hung out, just us girls, in ages! And since try-outs are on a Sunday this year," Cue me glaring at Teddy, "We can stay up late and sleep in! That way you get a day of rest before try-outs and we can have our fun!"

Dom, Rox and I jumped up, hurriedly followed by Vic, who had previously been sitting next to Teddy, and rushed to look for our female cousins. Behind us, four very bewildered boys exchanged confused stares.

* * *

"I can't believe you kissed him!" Molly screamed, chasing Dom round our room. The rest of us were lying around, laughing hysterically at the sight before us.

"How was I supposed to know you fancied him?" Dom wailed, struggling to keep her rollers in as she ran.

"Well you bloody well steal my diary all the time! I figured you'd know from that since he's _all I ever write about_!"

"Oh, you meant _that_ Donte."

"What other Donte do you know?" Molly yelled back.

Vic glanced at the clock, "Thank Merlin I put up a silencing charm. Alright, who wants to play truth or dare?"

Dom and Molly stopped chasing each other abruptly before running and climbing onto my bed. Roxy climbed up next to me, while Vic, Lucy, Lana (whom we had to invite, she did sort of live here), and Rose climbed into Roxy's bed, which was next to mine, and sat facing us.

"Okay. Molly, truth or dare?" Vic asked.

"Dare."

"I dare you to go up and snog Donte next time you see him."

Molly turned bright red, but nodded before saying, "Lana, truth or dare."

Lana looked relieved at being picked. "Truth."

"Who do you think the hottest bloke in school is?"

Lana turned bright red before muttering, "Teddy Lupin-Potter," And giving Vic and apologetic look.

To her obvious surprise, we all laughed. "We all do too, don't worry! Your turn," Dom giggled.

"Okay, erm, Phoenix truth or dare?"

I considered it. I knew they'd all be expecting me to pick dare, so I surprised them all by saying, "Truth."

"Are you and Wood secretly dating?"

"No! Definitely not! He's my best friend, nothing more, nothing less," I told her firmly.

She blushed before saying. "Oh, well, I think you two would be very cute."

"Thanks. Lucy truth or dare?"

"Dare."

"Go into the bathroom and get…"

We spent the rest of our night (and morning) talking and laughing. When we finally fell asleep it was about 5:30. We then proved that we all had Weasley genes (or were "heavy sleepers") by sleeping until nearly 3 in the afternoon. We only woke up then because Teddy paid someone to come dump water on us. Luckily for the girl, she decided just shaking us would be a better option, but I still felt a bit bad for her. If she hadn't brought us food I'm fairly certain Dom would have mauled her with a hairbrush.

We Weasleys do not like to be woken up.

* * *

"Alright, the rules are simple. The more shots you score, the more likely you are to make the team. Also, while I can't use summer practices as a judge, since obviously I didn't spend my summer with you lot, I can use how much we've been practicing since we got here in my final decision," Teddy said.

A weedy looking boy spoke up. "Since we got here? We've only been here for a week!"

"That hasn't stopped some of your competitors from practicing."

I glanced about to see a few people looking pleased. Others looked nervous.

"Now, if you will set your brooms down, the first thing we're going to do is run 10 laps."

"Excuse me? I'm pretty sure we came out for Quidditch, not running," A brute of a boy spoke from next to me.

"And I'm pretty sure you'll earn no favors arguing with your captain McLaggen," Vic said coldly.

"Start running!" Teddy said, and the team, a few other people trying out, and I began running. Those who hadn't begun running right away noticed one of Teddy's dormmates writing on a board and quickly started up.

When we finished many people fell on the ground, exhausted. Teddy's dormmate scribbled on his board again before handing it off to Ted.

"Hmm, if that pace was a bit much for you, you may want to consider leaving," Teddy said.

"You know, I don't think it's fair that your sister, sorry, _adoptive_ sister, over there doesn't even look out of breath. Surely you hadn't warned her about this, right?" McLaggen sneered.

"My _sister_ has been running 1 to 5 miles every morning since she turned eight. 10 laps around the Quidditch pitch was hardly something she needed to be warned about." Teddy said coldly. "Now, mount your brooms and fly a few laps around the pitch. I don't want any showing off, keep it at a slow pace, I just want to see you fly."

McLaggen went to make a comment when suddenly a girl fell off her broom. She had been barely 3 feet off the ground.

As flew around the pitch I noticed little things about my competitors. A boy who flew slightly to the left. A girl who held her broom too tightly to be able to get a good quick stop out of it. Little things, but they were things I knew Ted would pick up on as well. They were things that could be fixed; of course, but why fix something when there's a better option you don't have to fix?

When we landed Teddy told us it was time to see how well we worked with other chasers, and how well we shot. We lined up by year, which meant I was at the back of the line.

I watched each person go. The first girl couldn't catch a throw from Jay to save her life. One boy kept getting distracted by Vic and nearly crashing. Teddy scowled and sent him right off the pitch. McLaggen was good, making every shot, but he was a complete ball hog. The third year boy in front of me was also good, missing only one shot and working very well with Vic and Jay.

Then I was up.

I was more nervous than I had ever been in my life. As I passed McLaggen he swerved into me and muttered, "Careful bint." I knew from the clench in Jay's jaw that he heard it.

I quickly grew at ease, catching all of Jay and Vic's throws and they caught all of mine. Teddy had few issues with blocking, but they were easy to notice and I scored on him or set the others up to score on him over and over again. It was clear he was trying his hardest to block my shots, but I kept making them.

Finally he said, "Stop. Clearly I'm not going to be blocking any of your shots any time soon." His forehead was dripping sweat. The others looked similarly tired, and I was sure I did too.

I wasn't sure how many times I had scored on Teddy, but when we landed the others were staring at me in shock. Even McLaggen looked surprised.

"Team!" Teddy called. There were a few tense moments, them Teddy said, "In a unanimous vote we have decided on our new Chaser. Phoenix Potter, welcome to the team. Everyone else, thank you for trying out…"

I tuned out. I made the team! I was so happy, I didn't realize Teddy had dismissed everyone else until I felt someone picking me up and swinging me around.

"You made the team! I knew you would but I'm so happy you did!" Jay yelled, spinning me around and around. I was laughing hysterically.

"Jay! Come on mate, we all want to congratulate her too!" Teddy yelled.

"No! My best friend!" Jay yelled playfully, flipping me over his shoulder and running off. Ted and Vic gave chase while the rest of the team rolled around laughing.

Jay didn't put me down for ages, no matter how much I screamed and yelled. He carried me all the way up to the castle for lunch, the rest of the team following, still laughing. I couldn't keep the grin off of my face as I told the rest of my family the news. Then Jay ran up to the Owlery with me to send a letter to my parents. I was a bit surprised when he also sent one.

"My dad said to let him know _when_ you made the team," He explained before grabbing my hand and dragging me out.

As we walked back to the Common Room I swung our hands back and forth happily. Jay was smiling at me oddly.

"What?" I asked him.

"Nothing, I just haven't seen you this happy in a while." He said, still smiling.

He was right though. It was the best day I had had in a long time.

* * *

 **Aw, a sweet ending, but lots of grumpiness in this chapter! Wow. Some more family drama, seems like we've got quite a bit of that, but with such a big family its bound to happen. I do promise that this isn't going to be an every chapter thing. I do have other ideas haha, so there will be will be other things going on, especially in later years.**

 **And we finally see Phoenix's Hufflepuff side. Or perhaps you noticed it sooner? It was there; this was just the first time I pointed it out.**

 **Yay Quidditch! Phoenix is finally on the team!**

 **Hope everyone enjoyed! This is my longest chapter, almost 23 pages!**

 **Thanks to my readers, followers, favoriters, and reviewers!**

 _ **A/N: I don't think anyone should**_ _ **receive an alert when I edit a chapter, but just in case: sorry for the false alarm! Just going back to fix a few errors.**_


	8. Puts The 'Normal' In 'An Abnormal Year'

**Author's Note: I have been so, so sick. So sorry for the wait! Here's your update, finally!**

 **I hope everyone enjoyed last chapter! That was probably my favorite so far! So. Much. Fluff. 3**

 **This chapter is just a collection of the points of interest in Phoenix's second year. I am, however, incredibly excited about the beginning of this chapter. This is a big piece to the overall story, and I'm really excited to reveal it! There was SO much research put into it, so if anything doesn't quite seem right, so sorry!**

 **I still don't own Harry Potter. Sad but true. If I did, Luna would have been a much bigger part of the story.**

* * *

 **Puts The 'Normal' In 'An Abnormal Year'**

* * *

There was much theory and speculation on how the pyramids of Egypt were built, used, as well as on some mysterious hieroglyphics. Many muggles thought that the Egyptians called on aliens. Many wizards thought it was just powerful magic. We wizards were closer, but we never truly understood the depth of it all.

Wizards have many ideas on where magic comes from. Mind, soul, or heart, each wizard has some theory, and each theory explains where it comes from, and why some people can use it while others can't.

One of the most brilliant witches I ever met has what I truly believe is the answer. It was the most simple, and obvious theory, yet when she explained it, it made so much sense.

Her theory was this: magic comes from a combination of the mind, soul, heart, and very core of a person. Without the right combination of each, there is no magic in a person.

She came up with this theory based off of research she did on ancient Egypt. She believed that ancient Egyptians tested both the limits and the very essence of their magic. She studied ruins of what she believed were ancient schools and magical centers, and hieroglyphics, which she believed were ancient spells and secrets.

It was then that she found the spell.

She had never truly believed in the labels "dark magic" and "light magic". She believed that all magic had a good and a bad side, or could be used for either, if you tried hard enough.

When she came upon the spell, she knew some immediately would have labeled it "dark magic". She looked further, however, and the only word she could think of to describe the spell was _deep_.

The spell took magic from the very essence of a wizard. It took the magic and used it to judge. And it either deemed the wizard strong enough to continue on with their magic, or it took all of the magic from the wizard. Taking all the magic from a wizard eventually killed them, since it pulled essence from the heart, mind, soul, and core.

So basically, this spell was considered the ultimate test for a wizard.

Looking further into the spell, she realized that succeeding in using it gave a great power: the power to create highly intelligent, fully functional beings out of pure magic.

She was in awe of this incredible power, and she found it hard to believe that she was the only one to discover it.

Upon further research, she found that she was not.

Egypt, Greece, Rome, and then all the countries that helped to end Rome. They had all discovered this power, but outside of Egypt it was a secret kept only within royal blood.

The research on the spell was very hard to obtain, but she had an easier job with it, for it seemed that someone had only recently found it.

She had said that all she needed was one good look at these creatures, and a demonstration of their true power to crack the spell.

She was right.

* * *

"Phoenix are you nervous?" Al asked.

I simply nodded, staring at the empty plate before me.

"You'll do fine. You've been practicing for this your whole life. Now come on, you need to eat," Jay said.

I twisted around to give his empty plate a glance, then raised an eyebrow at him.

"I'll eat if you do," He offered. At my nod, he put a few pieces of bacon and a piece of dry toast onto my plate. I felt ill at the sight, but I knew how sick Jay got when he tried to play Quidditch without eating first, so I nibbled on the bacon, then choked down the toast. Jay gave me a pleased look as he mimicked my actions, and I couldn't help but smile back at him.

"Alright team, let's go," Ted called suddenly from further down the table. I felt sick again.

Jay and I stood as the Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff table broke into applause for our team. Slytherin scowled, and I realized Ted had called us when he did because Slytherin was getting ready to leave. If I hadn't been so nervous I would have laughed at his deviousness.

Jay wrapped his arm around my waist as we walked down to the pitch. It was only then that I realized I was shaking.

After that, everything pre-game was a bit of a blur.

It wasn't until I was taking off, the Quaffle flying high in the air, that I became aware of my surroundings again.

Jay caught the Quaffle, and immediately threw it to Vic before swerving to the right. As soon as he did I recognized the play, one Ted had created called 'Prongs, Pad and Moony'. It was all about trickery and deceit; the ultimate prank, Teddy had said.

I doubled under, catching the Quaffle as Vic threw it and taking off in the wrong direction.

Ted was really proud of this play, it was a shame it would only work once.

I flew towards the Gryffindors' goal, looking down at the ground as I flew. This was a common mistake for rookies, so we knew the Slytherins would buy it. Sure enough, I could hear the crowd screaming at me, and the Slytherins laughing.

Then I suddenly flipped around at top speed, flinging the Quaffle as hard as I could towards one of our beaters. He swung his bat, sending the Quaffle flying. The Slytherin keeper, Monson, was too stunned to do more than watch the Quaffle soar through their goal. I let out a whoop as I flew towards the other end of the pitch, where Vic had grabbed the Quaffle from right under the stunned Slytherin's noses. The crowd was cheering loudly. Vic grinned and winked as I caught the Quaffle after she threw it through the hoop yet again. The Slytherins realized the game was still going just after Vic scored, and it was truly on.

Mid-way though the match I saw one of the Slytherin beaters smack a Bludger towards me. I rolled quickly, but it still caught my elbow. I threw the Quaffle anyways, and it soared through the hoop. Then I shook my arm lightly and determined it was only bruised. I could see Jay giving me a concerned look, so I flipped him a thumbs up. He nodded and kept flying.

Gryffindor won the game 350 to 130. We were all in high spirits as we gathered in the locker room for Teddy's post-game speech. He was jubilant, so the speech was very short. Then he told us that there was a party in the Common Room, and to wear our jerseys and jeans. I dressed slower than the others, so by the time I was leaving the locker room was empty.

I pushed open the door; unsurprised to see that it was dark out as the sun had been setting as the game was finishing.

I jumped when I felt a hand on my wrist. I whipped around, my heart beating wildly.

"Sorry Phoe, didn't mean to scare you," Jay said. I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Merlin Jay! I thought you went up to the Common Room, what are you doing out here?" I asked.

"I was waiting for you, but I wanted to see if I could catch the end of the sunset. Sorry about scaring you."

"It's alright. Did you?"

"Did I what?" He asked, looking at me.

"Catch the sunset?"

"Oh. Yeah I did," He grinned.

"How was it?"

"Really beautiful," He was still staring at me. I smiled at him and he smiled back. Then he glanced down, his arm running from my wrist to my elbow. I felt a blush spreading across my face. 'What is he doing?' I thought

"I just want to check on your elbow," He said softly. He pulled up the edge of my jersey, turning over my arm. "Bloody hell Phoenix, I thought you said you were fine!" I glanced down to see a black and purple bruise spreading across my arm.

"It is fine Jay. I can't even feel it," I told him. He nodded, pulling my jersey back down and grabbing my hand. We walked back to the Common Room, where James teased us about taking so long. All night people kept coming up to us, congratulating us. It was a great feeling, and I fell asleep with a smile on my face.

* * *

Charms class was going well. I was slightly more challenged than I had been in my year, yet everything was still very simple. Flitwick let me partner up with Jay for the classes, and we finished so quickly we were able to spend the rest of class talking and creating Quidditch plays.

Then, one day midway through the year, two of Jay's friends, Don and Arnold, were arguing, again, and they mis-spelled and blew up part of their desk. Again.

This was apparently the last straw for good-tempered Flitwick. He told us that we would be receiving assigned seats the next time we came to class. I left with a feeling of dread, for the only people I knew in the class of third-years were Don, Jay, Arnold, and Nikki, one of our beaters. Plus, half of the students in the class were Slytherins, and house rivalries were just as strong after the war as they had been before it.

When our next class rolled around I actually considered skipping. But I knew that this wouldn't actually get rid of the problem, only put it off, so I went anyways.

"Now class, last time we were in here I told you that I would be assigning seats. I have not forgotten, nor have I changed my mind. I would like you to know that I am very disappointed that I am having to do this. I haven't assigned seats since the days Sirius Black and James Potter went to school here. Why, even Fred and George Weasley were able to handle picking their seats!" He sighed again, then began giving out seats.

Jay was placed next to a pretty girl in his year, but he still looked miserable. Don was placed in the very front, all the way to the right, while Arnold was placed opposite the classroom from him. Nikki was placed next to Arnold, and I couldn't help but give her a sympathetic look. She was making a pleading 'help me' gesture when I heard my name being called.

"Miss Potter, you will be in the back corner next to Mr. Nott," Flitwick said. I glanced in shock at Jay, who looked as though he was about to protest, but Flitwick was already moving on.

I quietly walked next over to sit next to the Slytherin. He was very tall, with broad shoulders. I glanced at him, then realized something.

"Hey, you're the Slytherin beater who tried to nail me with that Bludger!" I exclaimed. He grinned, and for a moment I was distracted. He had a very nice smile.

"Yeah, sorry about that. I was actually considering laying off of you, since you're so damn small, but then I realized how many goals you were scoring and changed my mind."

I beamed back, not even caring that he had just called me small. Our conversation continued throughout the lesson, switching from Quidditch to families and then to Charms. After class I waved as he walked away. I was triumphant when he waved back.

"Oh my Merlin you are _so_ lucky!" Nikki squealed as we entered the Common Room. "Benjamin Nott is super cute!"

I blushed.

"What's this that I see? Is Phoenix Annette Potter _blushing_?" Roxy's voice rang across the Common Room. I blushed harder.

Dom grabbed me by my arms, yanking me down onto the couch. Lucy and Lana glanced up from their homework, and Nikki plopped down next to me.

"Okay, spill," Dom ordered.

"Guys!" I whinged. Roxy hit me upside the head.

"Oh, she's just blushing because she now gets to sit next to Ben Nott in Charms!" Nikki giggled.

"Oh Merlin that boy is fit!" Dom squealed. I didn't notice Teddy patting Jay on the back sympathetically as I thought of Ben's blue eyes. Nor did I notice Jay storming upstairs as I giggled at Dom.

Suddenly, 12 didn't seem too young for a crush at all.

* * *

"Hey Freddy?"

"Yeah Nix?"

"Happy Christmas."

Fred rolled over in his bed to look at me, "You woke me up at midnight to tell me that?"

"No, I just couldn't sleep. I have a bad feeling."

Fred pushed up on an elbow to look at my face, "What kind of bad feeling?"

I just shook my head, shivering.

He noticed, yanking me under his covers as he asked, "Do you want to wake up Uncle Harry?"

I shook my head again. My family hadn't taken my "bad feelings" seriously at first. The first time I had one I was 3, and my Mum had thought I just needed a nap. Then, later that day we had gotten an owl saying Uncle Charlie had been bitten by a venomous dragon and was in a bad state. Mum and Dad had thought it was odd, but simply wrote it down to a coincidence. Then when I was 5 I got another, and later that day the orphanage for magical children that had been opened after the war caught fire, and they barely got everyone out. My parents decided to take my feelings a bit more seriously then. I got another bad feeling when I was 7, the day Minister Hastings was elected into office. That was the same day Teddy broke his arm falling off his broom, so they didn't question it being on Minister Hastings until I got another one 2 years later, the same day the Minister released the first Death Eater.

When I was terribly excited or upset I didn't notice if I had a bad feeling until after I calmed down (for example, I hadn't noticed I had one the day Dad and Uncle Ron were attacked until after it had already happened, when I realized I had written it off as nerves for why Flitwick had wanted to see my after class), which is why I was a bit worried about having one while I was so excited about Christmas. Still, I felt a bit more relaxed having told Freddy, and I managed to drift off to sleep.

* * *

"IT'S CHRISTMAS! CHRISTMAS, CHRISTMAS, CHRISTMAAAS!"

"Ronald Bilius Weasley! It's five o'clock in the morning!"

"CHRISTMAS!"

"Oi! We got presents!"

"Phoenix, Freddy! Al says we got presents!"

"Oi, James, shut your fat mouth, some people are trying to sleep!"

"Teddy Remus Lupin-Potter! Do not shout across the house!"

"CHRISTMAS!"

"Sorry Mum."

"Rose wake up!"

"Hugh! Geroff!"

"CHRISTMAS!"

"Oi, don't throw him on me!"

"Anyone smell breakfast?"

"Do you ever think of anything but your stomach?"

"No."

"That was rhetorical."

"CHRISTMAS!"

Then, finally, came the heavenly tones of my angelic Grandmother, come to shut everyone up.

"RONALD IF I HEAR YOU SHOUTING ONE MORE TIME I WILL NOT HESITATE TO MARCH UP THERE AND GIVE YOU A PIECE OF MY MIND. Al, James, no shouting in my home. Of course you got presents, it's Christmas, no reason to be idiots. Teddy, screaming at your brothers helps no one sleep. Ginevra, you don't need to be shouting either. Rose, no throwing your brother. George, of course there is food, everyone may come to get it in an orderly fashion, THERE WILL BE NO RUNNING."

"Our Grandmum should join one of those old people choirs," Fred said, looking at me quite seriously through his mess of bedhead.

"Perhaps she should audition for one of those musicals on the telly," I grinned.

"Maybe they'd put her on the…erm, Broadway, I think it was."

"Oh yes, so people could pay to hear her. Molly Weasley: the angels weep when they hear her voice."

"Hell yeah they do," Fred laughed. "How are you feeling?"

"Totally gone," I assured him confidently.

"I can't say if that's a good thing or not," He mutters.

"Considering no one is freaking out, I'd say not. Something's happened, and we'll probably only find out about it later. Like when Hastings was elected."

He nodded, then got a wicked smirk. Cautiously I began to back away from him, but he moved faster than I anticipated and suddenly I was staring at Fred's bum.

"Put me down! Fredrick you put me down now! You are not a caveman and I will not be slung over your shoulder like a five-year old!" I screamed. He ignored me as he ran through the house. Even Grandmum Weasley laughed at my shouting and my face, which undoubtedly matched my hair for coloring. When Fred finally put me down I turned right around and leapt onto his back, yanking on his hair. The house rang with laugher at our antics, and all thoughts of bad feelings were forgotten.

* * *

"Jay? Do you want to go for a fly?"

I was a bit surprised by the cold look he gave me. "Why don't you go with Nott?"

"I don't want to go with Nott. I want to fly with you. You know, the guy who's supposed to be my best friend, but been acting as though he doesn't even know me? The guy who I thought I could count on for anything, but lately won't even sit next to me in a meal? The guy who I thought had no prejudices, but who hasn't spoken to me since I became friends with a Slytherin?"

His head whipped around, "You-you think that's what this is about? That…because…you think I'm mad because he's a Slytherin?"

I stared at him, confused, then felt my eyes grow wide and I whispered, "Oh. Jay, is it because he's gay? Because that shouldn't be a problem, it's his decision."

Yeah, I had definitely been a bit bummed at that one. I had been enjoying the lovely shade of Ben's eyes when he began blushing and stuttering and told me he had a question for me. I had gotten quite excited, and could hardly believe it when the question was what team Don was beating for. I had actually started to tell him that Nikki was one of our Beaters before I understood the question. I was immediately quite disappointed, but then I decided that I was alright with just being friends with Ben. He was a superb one, and had been doing a much better job of it than my supposed best friend.

"Nott…is…gay?" Jay asked, quite disbelievingly.

I giggled. "Yes, haven't you _seen_ him making eyes at Don? Oh my Merlin the boy is nuts!"

Jay let out a laugh, though it sounded more relieved than amused. "Merlin, Phoenix I'm sorry, it's just…look I was jealous okay? You just spend so much time with him, and you're always laughing and talking with him and…"

I stepped closer to him, "Jay. You don't ever have to be jealous. You don't have competition."

He looked up at me, "I don't?"

"No, of course not! You're my _best friend_! The best I'll ever have. And I love you." I told him simply. To my utter confusion I thought I saw disappointment in his eyes, but it was gone before I was sure.

"I-uh, thanks. What about Fred?"

"You and Fred are two different things. Trust me, you two are the top of two different charts."

He simply nodded, shoving his hands into his pockets and rocking back on his heels. "Still up for that flight?"

"Yes please," I whispered, still more than a bit confused by his actions. He reached out, taking my hand, and we walked down to the pitch.

* * *

I was walking late at night when I heard a sniffle. I was a quite curious, not to mention a bit wary, when I realized it was coming from a dark corridor. Still, I'm Harry Potter's daughter, so naturally I went to check it out.

Scorpius Malfoy. The boy that had become my baby brother's best friend was sitting in a dark corridor, silently sobbing his eyes out.

"Scor?" I whispered.

His head shot up, and he stared at me for a moment before burying his face in his knees.

"Hey, what's wrong?" I whispered.

"Nothing."

"Scorpius."

"Why are you so bloody nice to me? Half your family is absolute rubbish towards me, the other half just avoids talking to me at all costs, and then there's you and Al. I don't get it, Al got to know me a bit before we even exchanged names, but you never had a reason to know me and you were just so accepting. Why?"

I decided to be completely honest with the kid, and I told him something I hadn't ever told _anyone._ "The hat tried to put me in Slytherin."

"What?" He asked in shock.

"Yeah. And Hufflepuff. And Ravenclaw. And, obviously, Gryffindor. It told me I could be in any house, and dammit Scorpius, I'm proud of that. I've grown up with an amazing Godmother telling me to live up to my full potential, and I plan to do just that. I don't want to be just what people think I am, or should be. I'm my own person, and I want to decide what kind of person that is. I accepted you because you were being your own person, you were sticking out from the crowd, and you reminded me of myself. Don't let anyone tear you down for that."

He had stopped crying.

"Scorpius, my little brother is one of the best people I know. He's good, and nice and a great judge of character, and if he likes you then there's got to be something good to you. Come on, it's late and I'll bet you anything Al's woken up and is looking for you." I held out a hand, and he smiled at me before taking it. I pretended not to notice as he wiped away tears on our way to the Common Room, sparing him further embarrassment. Upon arriving we found Al sitting on the couch, tucking the Marauder's Map (which he had managed to nick from James) back into his pocket. Both boys were eyeing me gratefully, and I gave both a wink as I wished them good night.

* * *

Roxy had a boyfriend. And a _fourth year_ boyfriend at that. Fred was going nuts.

She was mad about him. He was tall, with blond hair and blue eyes. He had a dark tan, and nice muscles from being on the Ravenclaw Quidditch team. He was smart, (she found him) funny, and (overly) polite. All in all, she declared him perfect, and we got to tune into the hour-long Dalton station each morning and evening. Soon enough, Rox had her first kiss, and I was suddenly worried the rest of the girls would follow her lead. Luckily, Lucy assured me that she was much too shy, while Lana was, like me (most of the time), uninterested.

I don't know why the thought of being the only girl who hadn't snogged a bloke in my dorm was unacceptable, but I found that it was.

Guess I'd just have to keep Lana and Luce away from boys.

Cause I wasn't going to be snogging any blokes any time soon.

* * *

The final Quidditch match was between Ravenclaw and Gryffindor, and we were all practically sick with nerves.

Gryffindor hadn't won the cup since my Dad's days in school, and there was a lot of pressure on all of us to win it back.

Teddy's speech was awful, though none of us remember a bit of it. We were all tied up on ranking with Ravenclaw, our scores 760-760, so all we had to do was win the match and the cup was ours.

It was easier said than done, and the entire match was tense. If I hadn't simply had a love for the game, in any state, I'm certain I would have loathed that match.

Well, at least until we won.

The final score had been 200-350, meaning we had been tied with Ravenclaw on scoring, our Seeker was simply faster than theirs.

We floated to the ground in a team group hug. Vic, Nikki and I were crying, and I'm pretty sure the blokes on our team shed a few tears as well. The party in the Common Room lasted until midnight, and they declared it legend when McGonagall herself walked into the room, looked around, muttered, "I'm too old to even bother." and asked for a mug of Butterbeer.

Jay held my hand all night, and I'm fairly certain he put it to sleep, because it felt warm and tingly the whole time.

* * *

The day before Teddy's graduation I found the boy, or perhaps man, in question hiding in a secret passageway, alone.

"Teddy?" I called softly. It would seem I have knack for finding those who wish to be alone.

"Phoenix, I can't do this. I'm not ready to be on my own, or be an auror, or even make a speech as Headboy. I'm not ready to be apart from Vic so much, or to be without you lot watching my back all the time. I'm not ready," He moaned.

Phoenix the therapist. I'll add it to my résumé

"Teddy, first of all, you're part of our clan _. You'll never be on your own_. And you won't be an auror yet, silly you have training first. And your speech is going to be brilliant. And you honestly think Vic will let you two be apart _that much_? You'll have her sneaking out of school so often you'll be wishing you could lock her up here permanently. And we'll always have your back, even if we can't watch it. You'll never truly be ready for anything Ted, but you're about as ready as it gets."

"Do you remember when we were kids, the day I yelled at Grandmum Weasley?"

Oh sure Ted, you're welcome. Yes, I know I give fabulous advice. No, I don't charge family, but remind me that Scorpius Malfoy owes me later.

"Yeah I do."

I didn't think anyone would ever forget it either. The summer before Ted had gone to Hogwarts everyone had been suggesting Teddy wear his hair normally, rather than his favorite shade of cobalt blue. Finally, when Grandmum Weasley had suggested it for the thousandth time, calling it a bit 'odd' and saying perhaps he would have an easier time just wearing it a more normal color, Teddy had _snapped_.

He left the room with Grandmum in tears and Dad screaming at him. And it appeared that only I had noticed the way his shoulders were shaking,

I followed him all the way to the yard, where I confronted him about it.

It was the first time I ever saw his natural look, as well as the first time I ever saw my big brother cry.

Turns out Teddy has this letter from his Mum. She wrote it just in case she didn't survive the final battle. In it she talks about the many little things she loves about him, and one of the things she says is that she 'loves that he's already decided on this bright blue to wear his hair' she says it's 'fun and bright and cheerful, just like he is, and the fact that a little baby's already decided on one color enough to wear it that way for a decent amount of time proves to her that he's the kind of guy to know what he wants, and it makes her proud'. I pretended not to notice Dad standing behind Ted, a look of guilt on his face. Instead I told Teddy that he could be whatever kind of person he wanted to be, and if he wanted to wear his hair blue, then he should because he rocked it. Ted went inside and apologized, received an apology for trying to convince him to change himself, and hadn't mentioned it again until now.

"Even back then you knew just what to say, and how to make me feel better. You're a great little sister, and I love you Phoe."

"I love you too Ted. You're a great big brother, and I can't wait to hear your speech."

* * *

"People will step into your life, and they will leave an imprint on your soul. Some people will be in your life for years and will dig an inch for every day, others will be there for minutes and barely leave a dent; but the fact is people will leave a mark. Because people help us grow and mold into the people we become.

Sometimes we have to fill in the mark people leave because they aren't molding us into who we truly want to become, other times we can simply let someone else step into it and wiggle their toes around to change the shape of the hole. We refuse to let people force us to be something we aren't. There was a war fought against people who did that. It didn't end up well for them.

We also leave marks on the world. Our parents left some pretty big ones, but we'll leave plenty of our own. We are the future of this world, and the marks we leave on it will be our own.

Some people will leave marks on your soul even if they're in your life but a few weeks. Some people will leave marks on your soul that grow deeper every day, for the rest of your life. You have all left a mark on my soul and I know I have left one on yours. Thank you for 7 amazing years, and congratulations. We did it."

* * *

 **December 25**

 **2:05 a.m.**

Minister Hastings lifted his wand, a red glow fading from the tomb in front of him.

"I've done it."

* * *

 **Oh Jay! I'm so mean to my poor Jay! She's getting there, slowly but surely! And yes, that was the entire second year, hope that didn't disappoint or confuse anyone!**

 **Lots of feelings in this chapter huh?**

 **I absolutely love writing scenes like Christmas morning. Coming from a big family, it's really fun to come up with different things to yell and holler at each other. Especially if you can have fully-grown Ronald Weasley screaming 'CHRISTMAS!" every few minutes.**

 **I hope everyone enjoyed!**

laxgirl1415 **: I loved that one too! I had too much fun writing it! Poor Jay, haha he's my favorite but Phoenix is a bit clueless so he's got a bit longer to wait on her to figure out his feelings… Thank you for reviewing, they make my day!**

 **As always, thank you for reading, reviewing, favoriting, and following!**


	9. Three's A Charm

**Author's Note: I just wanted to tell you guys how much I appreciate you! Thank you so much for reading! Feel free to tell me what you think, seriously, I love hearing it!**

 **So, it's now time for Phoenix's third year at Hogwarts! This is the last year I'm going to skip around, starting next year there will be much more content per year.**

 **This year:**

 **Teddy has graduated and is now in training to become an auror ~sob~**

 **Vic is in her last year at Hogwarts!**

 **Molly and Dom are in their fifth year.**

 **Jay is in his fourth.**

 **Roxy, Fred, Lucy, James and Phoenix are in their third.**

 **Al, Scorpius, Rose and Louis are in their second.**

 **And little Lily and Hugo are finally starting their first year at Hogwarts!**

 **I'm going to be writing this chapter a bit differently than the others, as I plan to put all of third year into it, so instead of having page breaks between events I'll just be summing up a lot of little events as I go.**

 **Now, this chapter is a very important one, and I do believe it's one we've all been waiting for. And don't be disappointed if things don't go the way you want right away, it all works out in the end…**

 **I don't own Harry Potter; if I did Sirius would have found love.**

* * *

 **Three's A Charm**

* * *

The summer before my third year was extremely strange. For one, my Uncle Charlie came home for the whole summer, which hadn't happened since he started working in Romania. He spent the entire summer talking about dragons with Fred, who loved every minute of it. This meant that I also spent my whole summer talking about dragons, and I found it extremely interesting. Though, when Uncle Charlie suggested I consider making it a career later on in life, I simply laughed.

Quidditch. I lived and breathed it. I spent most of my summer practicing, playing, creating plays, reading books about it, and writing Jay about it. The World Cup took place in Ireland that summer, and Dad and Uncle Ron bought everyone tickets as a surprise. It was brilliant, and the best part was that Dad and Oliver Wood got tickets together, so Jay and I got to watch it together.

That summer was also when Roxy, Lucy and Lana, who spent almost all of the summer at Lucy's, got very interested in makeup and fashion. My Godmother was thrilled, and I missed many great Quidditch days on a shopping spree. Still, Aunt Fleur had been horrified to hear how little I time I spent with the girls, and I was more than a bit ashamed upon hearing that they wished we would spend more time together, so I went along with little whinging. Fred teased me incessantly for it.

Roxy and Dalton continued to date over the summer, and we were all a bit surprised by it. Dalton was considered rather fit, and, while our Rox was gorgeous, she was two years younger than he.

I saw very little of Teddy that summer, for he had started Auror training and it took a lot of work to become an Auror. Teddy was also very determined to make sure that everyone knew he got in because of his hard work and dedication, not because Dad and Uncle Ron were big in the Auror department. That was something we all had to face as children of war-heroes. Everyone assumed that when you did something spectacular, it was because of who your parents were. Nothing was ever because you worked your arse off for it, it was because "your parents got you into it", or it "just ran in the genes", or you "were taught it from a young age, so it came as second nature". Though, when you didn't do anything special it was all on you; then you were either lazy, un-liked, or "got unlucky in the gene pool".

So, at the end of one of the oddest summers of my life, I walked onto platform 9&¾, and unwittingly into one of the oddest years of my life. I looked completely different from the beginning of the summer. While I hadn't gotten any taller, Aunt Fleur had wrestled me into a pair of wedges that almost knocked me up to Roxy's (natural, non high-heeled) height, a pair of skinny jeans, and a loose top. Though I would never admit it, matched with my usual summer tan and my hair thrown up in a twist of braids and knots Uncle Charlie had shown me, I actually quite favored my current look. It was only the makeup that I disliked, though Aunt Fleur had admittedly gone quite light on that.

There was the usual flurry of goodbyes and bits of advice as we tried to board the train, during which poor Hugo and Lily Luna got passed around at least half a dozen times for "last minute kisses" before Vic helped them escape. Then we were thrown hurriedly onto the train with the usual vigor just as the last whistles sounded. Fred and I were leaning out the door as we made Uncle Charlie promise to write, Lily was crying and waving at Mum and Dad, and Vic was blowing kisses to Teddy who was glancing fearfully at Uncle Bill while James laughed hysterically at his expense. The few ever-present reporters were genuinely smiling at the usual family chaos, and not even Dom could bring herself to pose for their cameras. All of our Uncles laughed as the train started moving and every female Potter or Weasley suddenly began crying and waving at Ted, who looked a bit bewildered to suddenly be at the center of attention. But as soon as the train started moving it became _real_ that Teddy was staying while we went, and it was quite a shock.

We all took a moment to sit together while the train got on its way, then we split up. I stopped to kiss Jay on the cheek and say hi to Don, Arnold and Nikki, the latter two I discovered were now a couple. I noticed Don, Arnold and Nikki giving me an incredulous look, and I blushed as I remembered my outfit. I left again shortly after with a promise to return before we reached Hogwarts. I bumped into Ben Nott in the corridor, who wolf-whistled at me before mentioning he would have "big news" when I came back. Then he told me I looked "quite fit" and walked away, leaving me blushing furiously and trying to remind myself that he wasn't interested. I went to Lucy, Lana and Roxy's compartment, but I left quickly when they started asking me "how Jay reacted to my new look", the answer to which was, of course, that he didn't. Not that it would have mattered if he had.

Then I went into Freddy's compartment. He was sat with James and the other boys from their dorm, Ross Techen, Conner Guin and Max Holland. I actually had a decent time with them. I hadn't ever really gotten to know the other boys in Fred and James' dorm, but they were quite funny. Though Holland had an annoying staring problem, which eventually drove me from their cabin.

I then decided it was high time I check on my baby sister and cousin, whom I found sitting with Madame Luna's sons Lorcan and Lysander Scamander, and Neville and Hannah Longbottom's daughter Alice. So basically, it was a cabin filled with angels, and I decided to buy them all something from Uncle George's shop for Christmas, just to spice their group up a bit.

Finally I headed back to Jay's compartment, and I couldn't help but laugh at the scene before me as I walked in.

As it turned out Ben had no need to tell me his "big news", for I figured it out upon walking into the compartment and seeing him snogging Don. On the bench opposite them Arnold and Nikki were snogging, and poor Jay was shoved far into the back corner with his nose buried in a book. I giggled as I yanked his book away, taking its spot in his lap.

"Poor Jay," I teased. He groaned, trying to hide his face in my hair only to discover it was put up.

"It started right after you left. My eyes are burning," Jay whinged.

I laughed loudly, "We've got to get you a girlfriend." There was an odd feeling in my stomach after I said it, but I ignored it.

He simply looked at me for a moment before shrugging and stealing his book back. We sat like that for a while, his head atop mine as we read _Potions: Tricks, Secrets and Theory_. We were almost at Hogwarts when I noticed an odd sort of flashing from the doorway of our cabin, and for a split second I thought we were being attacked. I was on my feet with my wand out before I realized it was a camera flashing.

"Sorry, I was going to warn you but I thought it would be a shame to spoil such a great shot," Came a sweet voice from behind the camera. The camera moved aside to reveal Coleen Creevey, a gorgeous Ravenclaw in Al's year. She had big blue eyes and hair that just barely qualified as red. It was long, straight, and only a few shades darker than strawberry-blonde. She was known for being wicked smart, and, from what I heard, quite the photographer.

"That's alright, you just startled me a bit," I told her, putting away my wand and sitting back down.

"My apologies. Would you two like a copy of the picture? It's stunning, really, you are such great subjects," She said with a smile.

"That would be great, thank you," Jay said. I nodded, and she handed us each a photograph.

I hadn't heard wrong, the girl had skill. In the window over our shoulders, the sun was just setting, but instead of creating a glare or throwing our faces into shadow she caught the light just right.

My hair was on fire. My fiery mane was lit up, and it cast a reddish glow on Jay's face.

And Merlin, my best friend was _fit_. The reddish hue to his face only accented his deep tan. His eyes were a mixture of brown and green that was absolutely beautiful. His hair was brown and flipped over his forehead in a way that made him look permanently windswept, something that probably came from constantly being on a broomstick. He had high cheekbones and a jawline that suddenly knocked the breath from me. Even his arms, which were wrapped snugly around my waist to hold his book, were gorgeous, tanned and muscular.

How the _bloody hell_ had I missed this?

And it wasn't just that he was fit. A hundred moments ran through my mind as I suddenly realized just how kind, devoted, dedicated, funny, smart, and amazing Jay was. Jay was perfect, and suddenly it became clear to me:

I fancied Jay Wood.

"Gods, this is brilliant, thank you so much! Seriously, you've got an amazing gift, right Phoe?" Jay gushed. I could only nod dumbly.

I distantly heard Coleen leave, but my attention was still captured by the photograph. It wasn't until Jay gave me a little shake, asking me if I was all right, that I snapped back to attention.

"I-I need to go…go talk to Roxy…a-about uh, her boyfriend. Yeah…I need to go d-do that…" I stuttered, springing out of Jay's lap and towards the door.

"Um, okay, but-" Jay was cut off as the compartment door slid open to reveal Max Holland.

"Hey Phoenix, um, well I was kind of wondering if you were going to come back by our compartment. You really made it more interesting; those guys aren't all that great at conversation. I mean-not that your brother or cousin are bad at conversation, but…" I cut him off quickly.

"No, sorry Max, but I'll talk to you later okay?" He nodded as I shoved past him and took off running.

I sprinted all the way to Roxy's compartment, hardly even registering Rox and Dalton springing apart.

"Merlin Phoenix, what are…are you okay?" She asked, concerned. I shook my head, not sure why I was upset, but upset all the same.

Dalton stood to leave without question, ruffling my hair as he went, and it briefly crossed my mind how much I liked him. Roxy jumped up, grabbing my arm and pulling me into a seat. She took my face into her hands, trying to calm me.

"Phoenix what happened?" I shoved the picture into her hands. "Merlin…Phoenix this is beautiful. Look at you; you look stunning! And you and Jay look so adorable, and my, isn't he just the picture…oh!" Her gaze snapped up to meet mine, and I could tell she knew.

"I'm not supposed to fancy him! Roxy he's my best friend, he doesn't even think of me like that! And he's a fourth year; I'm a whole year younger! And _look at him_ , there's got to be dozens of girls loads prettier than I am who fancy him!" I stopped at the disbelieving look she was giving me. "What?"

"Phoe, have you seen the way he looks at you? He's _mad_ for you! Look at this picture, you two look like you're already dating!" She threw the picture back into my lap, and I looked again.

While before I had been admiring Jay, now I admired the whole picture. I had one leg tucked up and to the side on the bench and my chin rested on the other, which was pulled up into my chest. On either side of me were Jay's legs, while his arms were just inside of his legs, wrapped around my waist and coming to a rest just off to the side of my leg, so that I could see the book. His chin rested on top of my head, and the look on his face was utterly content. It was a beautiful picture, and Roxy was right, we looked like a couple.

"See, I told you. Oh my Merlin Phoenix you've finally realized you fancy Jay!" She squealed. I giggled, then jumped back up.

"I should get back! Thank you so much Roxanne, and hey, please don't tell anyone about this!"

"Of course I won't! Oh I'm so happy!" Roxy was dancing in her seat, and I giggled again at her silliness.

"Oh, and Rox?" I said just after I opened the door, breaking a silencing charm that could only be put up by the blonde Ravenclaw leaned against the wall across from me. I stared at the boy, who was obviously prepared to wait until I either left, or we reached the school.

"Yeah?" She asked.

"I completely, utterly, and wholeheartedly approve of your boyfriend." A smile spread across his face, and I grinned back before leaving.

I walked back into the compartment; ready to apologize for rushing off, when I realized there was now someone else inside.

"Well I just wanted to let you know! Really, you look completely dashing up there," Giggled the strange blonde sitting next to Jay. I stared, confused, as Jay grinned back at her.

"Well thanks, really I'm just in my element on a broomstick. I didn't know you were a fan though!"

"Oh yes, I've been a fan of Puddlemere United since before I could walk!" She giggled. Again.

' _That wasn't even funny.'_ I thought irritably. Out loud I said, "My Mum always said you should be more proud of being able to pick a team after you're old enough and intelligent enough to understand what you like about the team. It doesn't matter how long you've been a fan, it matters how devoted of a fan you are. You have to understand a team in order to be devoted."

She whipped around, suddenly glaring fiercely, "Of course you would know. You're probably only into Quidditch because of your mother. I'll bet they only let you on the team because of your Granddad, your father and your Mum. Bit unfair, that they don't let people who actually care about Quidditch on the team."

I opened my mouth to respond, but Nikki beat me to it.

"Phoenix is on the team because she cares about Quidditch, and she works really hard at it. Plus, she's got skill. I saw you try-out our second year, Vane, and its no wonder you haven't come back. Then again, I had you in flying classes, so I guess it was to be expected." Vane let out a huff and stormed away.

"Thanks Nik," I said.

"No problem, what a bint huh?" I nodded, then turned towards Jay to sit down.

"You sort of started it," Jay muttered, not glancing up from his book and a chocolate frog. My jaw dropped and I stared.

"His tender loving feelings are hurt by the way you ran off," Ben stage whispered at me. Jay's only response was to grip his book harder, so his knuckles went white. Ben was clearly waiting for me to respond, but instead I turned around and walked out again.

"I knew it," I heard Nikki whisper from behind me.

I stormed down the corridor until I reached Fred's cabin. I walked inside and sat down, ignoring any and all questions.

I was going to tell Jay, but now I wasn't sure. What if Roxy was wrong?

* * *

Jay didn't talk to me until two days later, when he apologized for getting mad. I accepted his apology and made up a lame excuse for why I ran off. We tried to go back to the way we had been before, but my feelings for him seemed to grow every day, and he constantly seemed tense and a bit off. As a result, our previously easy-going relationship was a bit awkward. Everyone noticed, but only Roxy and Nikki, who had cornered me shortly after the sorting ceremony, knew why.

Lily Luna, Hugo, Lorcan, Alice and Lysander were all placed in Gryffindor. They quickly became a tight-nit group, and I thought they were entirely too innocent and _good_.

James had decided that this was the year he would begin to live up to his (middle) namesake, and suddenly all of the girls were buzzing about my idiot twin. He was constantly seen with a different witch, though Fred told me he wasn't doing anything more than snogging. Thank Merlin. Fred and I quickly dubbed his witches as "the Gigglers", since that's all they seemed to be able to do when James brought them out in public. I had actually had a few wizards try and tell me I could take after my twin, but they quit after Fred and I pranked them to turn pink and sing Celestina Warbeck whenever they thought of me. There was a frightening amount of singing throughout the day, and Fred hexed any boy he caught.

There was also an annoying amount of little Miss Julie Vane around, and nearly everyone disliked her.

Everyone except Jay, that is.

Jay was _constantly_ around her, something she loved to be smug about. She was the queen of snide comments, and I longed to hex her arse halfway to the States and back.

Since my best friend was suddenly never around, I spent even more time than usual on the Quidditch pitch. Scorpius had tried out and made Seeker, which I was thrilled about, while Al had stunned us all by trying out for Ted's old spot as Keeper, which he was brilliant at. Both boys had a habit of following me out to the pitch, but they were sweet enough to leave after a few hours and just let me fly.

Rose was constantly picking fights with Scorpius, which Al had a hard time with. He stood behind Scorp every time, but it hurt him that his cousin and long-time friend disliked his best friend. Dom joked that Scorp and Rosie were going to end up just like Granddad James and Grandmum Lily, or like Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron. I could see it.

When the other teams had practice and I got kicked off the pitch (though I adored Irene Goldstein, the Ravenclaw captain and Keeper, since she would occasionally have Scorp, Al and I play with one of her chasers and a beater against her, and two of her chasers, her Seeker, and her other Beater, so we could have an evenly-split scrimmage) or when I was unable to practice, I would find extra work to do with one of my teachers. While I hadn't stopped my extra Transfiguration and Potions classes, I found that I really enjoyed Ancient Runes, which I had started taking just this year. I had also taken Arithmancy and Care of Magical Creatures, but Ancient Runes was by far my favorite. I also spent a fair bit of time in the library, or with Fred, Roxy, Nikki or Ben.

All in all I was having a decent year, but I missed Jay more than I cared to admit. For example, I truly missed him when we had our first Hogsmeade trip, and he spent it with Vane and her friends. That one hurt, but Freddy and Roxy ignored their usual dislike of being seen in the same vicinity of each other to spend it with me. James even stopped by for lunch with us, though he dragged his current Giggler along and I ended up hexing her, something she didn't discover it until later, and I'm hoping James didn't discover it at all. Fred, Rox and I spent the day shopping and laughing, and I had a good time. Still, when we passed Jay, holding hands with Vane and laughing, I felt a bit like crying. Roxy had immediately grabbed my hand and Fred, who knew without me telling him, had quickly steered us away.

Eventually Jay started talking to me, but when he did I wished he hadn't. Suddenly every time I said something I was insulting Vane in some way, and I was called out on it. I couldn't get anywhere near to them because Vane would immediately pick a fight, and I was always in the wrong at the end of it.

I was determined not to let it get to me, but I had suddenly lost my best friend, and I longed to know why.

* * *

It wasn't until Christmas Break when I realized how truly upset I was over Jay.

"Hey Annette, I haven't heard much about you and that Jay recently. Something you'd like to tell us?" Uncle Bill asked with a smirk. I opened my mouth to lie and tell him that Jay and I were fine, that we hadn't changed, or that Jay had a new _girlfriend_ , whom he had asked out after one of _our_ Quidditch games. I opened my mouth to tell him something, but instead, to my horror, I felt my lip quiver, and I dashed out before they could see me cry.

I spent the rest of the day locked in my room, crying. A few people tried to come in, but I begged them to leave and they eventually did. Finally, much later in the evening, my door creaked open and I saw the only people I wanted to see.

My Mum and my Godmother walked in, looks of surprise on their face. They had been out all day, shopping for last minute presents, and it looked as though they had just run up to my room upon hearing that I was up here crying.

"Annie?" Aunt Fleur asked.

"I fancy Jay, and he hasn't talked to me in so long. He pretends like we're fine when I ask him about it, but he's always with his new _girlfriend._ He didn't even know her and now it's like everywhere he goes he has to go with her. And she hates me! And I hate her. We can't be around each other, and when it comes down to it he picks her every time! Little Miss Julie Vane, she's so damn perfect, but I like him so much! I hadn't even realized how much I like him, but I do and I'm not good enough. I thought he liked me, but apparently not," With these last words I started to cry again. Mum and Aunt Fleur quickly rushed forward, wrapping their arms around me.

"First of all, and you listen here, you are more than good enough, for anyone. If that boy doesn't like you than he has issues, not you. And second-" Aunt Fleur started.

"Second, did you say Vane?" Mum asked.

"Yeah?" I sniffled.

"You said he didn't even know her, when did he meet her?"

"On the train, I had left and I came back and he was with her, and he was all over her and she was all giggly, and I got jealous so I snapped at her, and she said something back about me only playing Quidditch because of you and Dad, and Nikki defended me but then he didn't even say anything to back her up, he just said that I 'kind of started it'," I started crying again.

"Wait, Vane, was she…?" Aunt Fleur trailed off, but Mum answered her unasked question immediately.

"Yes!"

"And then he…?"

"Uh huh."

"Oh! Mon chère, was Jay eating anything?" Aunt Fleur asked.

"I-what?"

"Just answer the question!" Mum practically yelled.

"Okay! Um, I think he was eating a chocolate frog…"

"Do you think-?"

"I would bet galleons on it!"

"Then we should go write-"

"Yes! Let's go!"

Like a couple of teens, my Mum and Godmother ran out, hardly stopping to give me a kiss on the forehead as they went.

* * *

"Nix. Scoot over sweetheart," I blearily slid over as Fred's voice shattered my slumber.

"Freddy? What are you doing?" I asked, still trying to wake up.

"Everyone just finally got to sleep, so I was finally able to sneak over." I continued to look at him confusedly, and he sighed as though I had disappointed him, "Nix, if you think I was going to leave you up here, all alone and miserable, you're sadly mistaken. I tried to follow you up here as soon as you ran, but Uncle Bill insisted I let the girls do it, or let your brothers and Dad try."

I let out a snort as I imagined James trying to comfort me.

"Yeah. So I waited. But I overheard your Mum and Aunt Fleur talking, and it sounds like they think Vane may be giving Wood a love potion."

I sat straight up, "Seriously?" He nodded, yanking me back down towards my bed.

"It will all work out. G'night Nix."

"Night Freddy."

* * *

The next morning I woke up to a light shining in my face. I opened my eyes to see a dozen faces staring at me from my doorway.

"Sorry love, we didn't want to wake you, but we needed to talk to you," Mum whispered.

I slid out of bed, reaching for my robe as I noticed Jay's parents among the mix of people in my doorway.

"Noooo…Nix come back to bed. It's cold…" Fred whinged from my bed.

"Sometimes I think that if you two weren't cousins you'd be lovers, and that's gross," Roxy said. Her statement got a mixture of snorts and giggles, and Fred glared at her as he finally emerged from my bed.

"That's-"

"Disgusting." Fred finished for me.

"Seriously I'm-"

"Quite offended."

"If you think-"

"I would honestly-"

"Stoop to the likes of-"

" _That_ -" We said together.

"Then you are sadly-

"Mistaken my friend." I finished, finally finding my left slipper and starting towards the door.

"I swear, you'd think they were twins rather than us!" James said to Roxy. Uncle George stared at us before turning and walking off. The grin slid off Fred's face as he saw this, and I couldn't help but send a slight glare after my Uncle.

I followed the rest of my family towards the living room, where I was nervous to see Jay sitting, looking a bit pale.

I automatically took a step back towards Fred when Jay's head snapped up to look at me, since recently this meant that I had insulted his girlfriend in some way, and was about to get in trouble. Jay immediately looked very guilty.

"Phoenix, sit down chère," Aunt Fleur said. I took a seat in an armchair as far away from Jay as I could get. I felt a bit better when Fred sat protectively on the arm of my chair, putting himself between Jay and I. Jay looked like he wanted to be sick.

"Phoenix, Jay has been receiving a love potion for the past few months," Mrs. Wood said. I glanced up at her, hardly able to believe it. I vaguely remembered Fred saying something about a love potion last night, but I had been too tired to even really register that it was a possibility.

"Do you remember the story of how I was poisoned?" Uncle Ron asked. When I nodded, he continued. "Well then you'll remember that the reason why I even drank that mead was because I had consumed love potion, right? Well the girl who gave me that love potion was Romilda Vane, Julie's mother."

"That's why I thought to check, because his actions just didn't add up," Mum said.

"You remember how love potions work, right Annette? The potion turns the affected against the people who will be a threat to the user," Aunt Fleur said. I realized what that meant as Jay blushed and Dad, Teddy and several of my Uncles tried to give him a "protective look".

He fancied me, and so the potion had turned him against me so that I couldn't ruin its effects.

I was trying not to cry, again, as I realized that Jay didn't hate me, quite the opposite actually. Then I realized that my poor best friend had been under the effects of a potion for quite some time, and Fred barely had time to dodge as I flung my arms around Jay's neck.

"You were under a potion for all that time? That wretched girl, she's lucky you aren't sick or I'd rip her ugly hair out by its roots and shove it up her…" I trailed off, muttering insults and trying not to cry.

"I can't decide whether to start apologizing for the awful way I sort of remember treating you, feel guilty because you look like you're about to cry, hug you half to death because you look like you're about to cry, hug you half to death because I can hardly remember even speaking to my best friend for the past few months, or get you a broom so you can follow through with some of those scary promises you're making right now," Jay laughed. He sounded really tired, and I had to blink hard to keep from crying at his words, after so many months of insults and anger.

"Maybe you should just kiss her," James suggested, then shrank under the glares my Uncles, father, Teddy, Al and Fred gave him.

Jay and I laughed, and it was then that I realized I was sitting in his lap in front of both of our families. Awkwardly, I slid onto the arm of his chair.

"Phoenix, why don't you and Jay take a walk while we start breakfast?" Mum asked. I nodded and jumped up, walking outside. I could hear Jay following close behind me, but I didn't stop until we had reached our Quidditch Pitch.

"Phoe, I'm so, so sorry. I don't really remember much of what happened, but I remember a lot of what happened between us, and I feel awful," Jay said guiltily.

"Jay, you couldn't have helped that! You were under a potion, you can't control these things."

"Still, I'm sorry about it."

"Jay…um, the reason I ran off, you know, on the train before you took the potion, was because…well seeing that picture made me realize…Jay I fancy you!" I burst out. He looked stunned, then completely thrilled.

"Phoenix, I'm mad for you, have been since our first year," Jay beamed.

I smiled sweetly, glancing up to look at him, then froze. Jay followed my gaze before freezing as well.

"A few years ago, over Christmas, my Uncle George tried to prank everyone, but it went wrong. He was trying to create mistletoe that grew whenever you fancied someone and stood with them in the kitchen, but instead it jinxed our whole property. Now, every year at Christmas time we have mistletoe growing all over."

"That's why the ceiling of your home is so ridiculously covered in it," Jay breathed. I nodded, still so caught up in staring at the mistletoe that I almost missed the way he was looking at me.

I just caught his expression change, and glanced at him to see him looking at me with complete adoration. I felt a hot blush spread across my face, and I couldn't help but think of how handsome he was, and of how much I liked him.

My breath caught in my throat as he leaned closer to me.

He was so close that I could see his breath fogging in the cold December air.

His eyes were so beautiful.

His lips were so soft.

And then he was kissing me, and I was in absolute bliss.

* * *

After that, Jay's parents spoke with Professor McGonagall, who assured them that Vane would be punished severely. The whole school was buzzing with what had happened, and loads of people came up to tell Jay and, to my surprise, me, that they had never liked Vane, and how sorry they were for what happened. It was quite bewildering, but I was glad that no one seemed to be sympathetic towards Vane.

Jay and I started dating; he had asked me after we had snogged until our lips went numb from the cold, while we were racing back towards the house. Random people would come up to us in the hallway and tell us how cute we were, and how they "just knew we'd get together soon enough". I was completely happy, and couldn't believe that I hadn't realized how much I liked him sooner.

The year seemed to progress perfectly, with the only kinks coming from Rose constantly trying to pick fights with Scorpius.

It wasn't until the last Quidditch game of the year that Rose realized that our family had truly accepted Scorp.

It was rainy, so rainy I could hardly see. Again we were playing Ravenclaw for the cup, and no one was playing a friendly scrimmage this time.

The game was incredibly close, and I thought Scorpius would never find the snitch with the rain. We had cast spell after spell, trying to clear up our vision, but our visibility was still awful. Dom and Irene actually called a time out just to put their heads together and talk about charms we could use to help our teams see.

It was no use, and the weather seemed to be getting worse and worse.

I had taken the Quaffle and was flying towards the goal when I heard someone scream. I glanced down to see a Bludger flying towards Scorpius.

Who never saw it coming.

I knew then that I had a choice, and didn't think twice before flying towards my teammate. I was closest, and I could see that the Bludger was headed straight for Scorp's head.

I flew towards him, trying to knock him off course, but Scorpius was focused on something I hadn't seen.

So instead I turned my broom…

…And took the Bludger in his stead.

The Bludger hit a lot harder than I had expected, and for the second time in my life I felt my hands slip off my wet broomstick.

Jay wasn't anywhere near me this time.

I could feel myself falling, and hear people screaming, but all I could think of was the look on Scorpius' face as he turned around, clutching something in his hand, to see me falling.

My vision was blurry, and I was hardly aware as I hit the ground.

* * *

O

O

O

O

O

"Nix? Can you hear me?" I felt as though I was hearing Fred through cotton, his voice was so distant.

"Phoenix, come on, Madame Scamander says you should be waking up now." Why was my Dad at one of my Quidditch games?

"Come on chère, you've had plenty of beauty rest now, and you didn't need it anyways." Aunt Fleur came too? Wow, that's sweet.

"Phoenix, I'm so sorry, please wake up!" Aw, Scorpius sounded so sad. I should give him a hug, but my arms feel so heavy…

"Phoe, it's time to wake up." Oh, Jay wanted me to wake up? Why was I sleeping in the first place?

My eyelids felt like they weighed a ton, but I managed to pry them open, only to squeeze them shut at the sudden, blinding light.

I coughed a few times, my throat feeling like sandpaper, then spoke. "What happened?"

I looked at the worried faces of my family, then at Jay, before finally my gaze came to a stop on Scorpius, whose face was tearstained and guilty.

That was when I remembered.

"Scorpius…" I said softly. He quickly turned away, his shoulders shaking, and I was surprised to see James rest a hand on his shoulder.

"Come on mate, it's not your fault. I told you, Phoenix, the idiot, did it because she cares, and can't show that like a normal person," James said. I stared at him in shock.

"Hello Phoenix. The nargles around you have certainly gone down, but I'd wager a guess that some water wouldn't be amiss?" Madame Luna's voice floated over to us. I nodded, waiting until I had gulped down some water before speaking again.

"So sweetheart, how are you feeling? Does your head hurt? Do you need anything? More water maybe?" Grandmum Weasley fretted.

"Did we win?"

Grandmum looked stunned, but slowly laughter broke out among our family. Jay's expression was one of extreme relief, and he told me that Scorp had caught the snitch just after I got hit. I then forced Scorpius to sit on the edge of my bed, where I made him listen to a long-winded explanation as to why he shouldn't blame himself for what happened. Then I was told how the hell I survived a 200-foot fall straight into the ground.

Apparently, my life had been saved by the bloody Quaffle. They said I had clung to it for all I was worth, and the spell that slowed the Quaffle when it was dropped, so that players had time to grab it before it hit the ground, was just strong enough to save my life. Jay said that I could officially say I had never dropped the Quaffle, nor would I ever drop it. Mum said McGonagall had tried to slow my fall with a spell, but the rain was so bad she missed.

Then I was informed that I would need to spend at least another week in the wing, as I had fractured my skull. The parents left shortly after that, making me promise to be good and stay in bed. They even locked the door to the hospital wing.

I snuck out the first chance I got.

* * *

On the last day of school Fred and I decided to pull a grand prank, in honor of Victoire graduating.

After McGonagall's speech, just before we left to load the train, every banner, emblem, and robe patch changed to a picture.

The first was a picture of Vic and several of her friends the day they got home from their first year. The picture slowly faded into another picture of Vic at her first Quidditch game, then faded out again. The pictures rotated through every picture of any seventh year we could find. We had a lot of help from Coleen and Hagrid, who had begun taking pictures whenever he could after the war.

Most people turned their attention to the giant Hogwarts emblem at the front of the Great Hall to watch, and by the time the rotation was starting over again, all of the seventh years, most of the teachers and several other students were crying. Vic was sobbing loudly, as was McGonagall, much to our surprise. Then a seventh year Hufflepuff jumped to their feet and began to applaud, and the rest of the school soon followed suit. Fred jumped up, grabbing my hand, and together we stood atop the table and took a bow.

"It is much too late to be awarding points, but know that I would be giving you two a great deal of them right now if it was not. This is not only one of the sweetest pranks I've ever seen, but an amazing display of Transfiguration and Charms," McGonagall called over the crowd. Fred and I hopped off the table, and I traded his hand for Jay's. Together we walked towards the train, ready for another summer together. Behind us, people were swarming to Coleen and Hagrid to grab pictures, and the emblems slowly faded back to their previous states.

"This was a good year. A strange one, but a good one all the same," I told Jay. He turned me towards him, putting his hands on my hips.

"Any year with you is a good one, no matter what else happens," He said sweetly. I laughed, kissing him quickly before we started on our way again. Jay and I didn't kiss very often after our first snog, both agreeing we were a bit too young for that. We were just happy to be exclusive.

The train ride was as bittersweet as last year's as we all crammed into one compartment. The cabins typically sat 6-8 people, but with Rose sitting in Vic's lap, Roxy in Dalton's, me in Jay's, Lily in Al's, Dom and Molly crowded practically on top of each other and Lucy and Lana in a similar predicament, a furiously blushing Hugo with an equally red Alice in his lap, Lorcan, Lysander and Fred crowded by the door, and Scorpius, James and Lewis pressed in front of the windows, we made it work.

We played what had to be the most risky game of Exploding Snap ever, and Vic had to regrow several eyebrows and mend many burns as we pulled into the station.

I was pleased to see my parents standing with Jay's, and Oliver Wood spent several minutes telling me how amazing I was to have taken that Bludger for Scorp. Jay practically had to drag his dad away from me, and I couldn't help but laugh at how red he got when Oliver threatened to start telling baby stories if he "rushed him".

I walked out of the station hand-in-hand with Jay, and it meant something completely different than it would have at the beginning of the year.

My third year was one of the strangest, but it was also my best yet.

* * *

 **So, I write these chapters as I go, and I can honestly tell you that I had no idea where this was going when I started it. I had a bit of action planned out, but this year was probably going to be quite boring.**

 **Then I started writing, and was like "holy crap I guess they're going to get together this year". Not. My. Intention. Seriously, I had planned it out in fourth year, and it was going to happen very differently. But I'm quite happy with how this turned out, and I am honestly so in love with Jay and Phoenix.**

 **Now, remember Julie Vane, she was in my story line all along, and she will be very important later.**

 **Also, remember Coleen Creevey. Gosh I love her. I sort of pictured her as a combo of Lily Evans and Luna Lovegood, and I quite like it.**

 **As always, thank you SO MUCH for reading, favoriting, following, and reviewing.**

 **Much love to you, you wonderful person.**


	10. Surprises

**Author's Note: So we finally get to fourth year! This year:**

 **Teddy and Victoire have graduated!**

 **Dom and Molly are in their sixth year.**

 **Jay is in his fifth year. Ew, OWLs.**

 **Rox, Lucy, Fred, James and Phoenix are in their fourth year.**

 **Al, Rose, Louis and Scorpius are in their third year.**

 **Lily, Hugo, Alice, Lorcan and Lysander are in their second.**

 **Also, for anyone who was wondering, this story will be based off of a combination of facts from the books and movies. I've read the series a grand total of 8 times, and I've seen the movies countless times, so occasionally the difference between the two is blurred. One thing you can be sure of, however, is that Harry Potter's eyes are green.**

 **I don't own Harry Potter; if I did I would have found colored contacts that didn't irritate Daniel Radcliff's eyes, as well as given colored contacts to the young actress of Lily Evans.**

* * *

 **Surprises**

* * *

It is a known fact that ancient Egyptians had slaves. The slaves were said to have regarded the Pharaohs as a sort of living god. Muggles believed that this, combined with a bit of a fear factor, caused them to work for their Pharaoh with little to no resistance.

As wizards, we knew that Egyptians had impressive magical abilities, as did their slaves. The evidence is obvious in the success of ancient Egypt, as well as in hieroglyphic depictions. This posed the question as to how Egyptians controlled their slaves with so few rebellions. The answer our Unspeakables came up with couldn't be proven, but they believed that the Egyptians branded their slaves with a magical symbol, which allowed them some measure of control over the workers.

It is, however, a known fact that there were some rebellions from slaves over time. Most were strikes over not receiving grain or for better working conditions, but they still leant the question: how did the slaves break the powerful spell the symbol created?

The Unspeakables came up with an answer for this too: the slaves had to be more powerful than the castor. The same symbol was branded on each slave, as the symbol would be that of the current Pharaoh, which meant that the spell ended up cast over the slaves as a group. This meant that if one slave broke the spell, all slaves were free. The Unspeakables even found evidence that the Egyptians had been working to individualize a group spell (though they had previously believed that the spell was intended to create an illness), which further proved their point, as it was only logical that an advanced group like the Egyptians would figure out their problem and attempt to fix it.

My friend, who had been researching Egyptian hieroglyphics and came up with the theory on where magic comes from, actually agreed with the Unspeakables. She thinks that the Egyptians were very close to creating the individualized spell, and that it would have been easy to complete, had anyone found the spell.

* * *

"Al, do me a favor, fly back a few meters and stay there."

"Alright."

I waited until my little brother nodded to show he was ready, then flew straight at him. At the last possible moment I flipped my broom upside-down, holding on with one hand as I gripped the Quaffle in the other. I flipped back around just before I reached the hoop, tossing the Quaffle before pulling up hard on my broom. I made a giant loop, and ended up nose-to-nose with Al.

He started laughing, "That was great, but you should probably work on that last part. I don't think Jay would appreciate you getting this close to the other team's Keeper."

I opened my mouth to respond when I heard my Mum calling to us.

"Phoenix, Al! Your Hogwarts letters are here!"

Al and I flew towards the ground, still laughing. We entered the house and were walking towards the kitchen when the Floo dinged.

A brown-haired blur flew towards me, lifting me off the ground and spinning me around.

"I'm captain! Phoenix I'm Quidditch captain!" Jay shouted.

"That's amazing, I knew you would be! Congratulations!" I yelled back. Jay pressed his lips against mine, still spinning me.

A throat cleared behind us, and Jay quickly set me down, stepping away from me. My Mum was grinning at us, as was Al. Lily started singing a song from a muggle romance Aunt Hermione had shown us. James, however, had his arms folded across his chest, and it was obvious that he had been to one to clear his throat.

"You're lucky Teddy and Dad aren't here," James said, then his face broke out in a grin. "Congrats mate, Vic would have been a git not to pick you though!"

I rolled my eyes at him. I had been hopeful that James had matured a little bit after I watched him comfort Scorp, but apparently he had only done it after talking to Dad about him. Dad had encouraged him to become friends with Scorp, so that's what he did. Unfortunately James hadn't spoken with Dad about his Giggler problem, as he had started a list of past Gigglers and "Gigglers-to-be". It would appear our nickname for his witches had stuck, and Fred and I were slightly less fond of it now that James used it.

About mid-way through the summer, Mum had received an "anonymous tip" to give us "the talk". She had been insulted that anyone would try to tell her how to raise her children, but she had still gotten a thoughtful look on her face that James and I didn't like one bit. The next day, Fred, Roxy, Lucy, James and I found ourselves sat in the living room, trying to avoid each other's gazes as Mum and Aunt Angelina tried to be serious and straightforward about the whole ordeal, Aunt Penelope and Uncle Percy tried to explain things with scientific nonsense and (the horror!) a diagram, and Uncle George attempted to joke about the entire thing. Dad spent the entire time sitting on the couch, staring at the floor with red ears.

Fred and I had decided that, should we ever get our hands on the "anonymous tipper", they would receive "anonymous pranks" for the rest of their lives.

"Vic would have been an idiot not to do what? And why is who lucky we're not here?" Teddy's voice rang though the house as he stepped through the front door, Dad on his heels. Jay went white, while James began to smirk.

"Ted! Daddy!" Lily squealed, rushing to them.

"Vic would have been a git not to pick Jay for Quidditch captain, and I was lucky you weren't here because I never would have gotten my boyfriend back as you two ex-captains tried to give him advice," I lied smoothly, rolling my eyes for effect. "Obviously I didn't get lucky for long, seeing as you're here now. Why are you home so early?"

James looked rather put out, but Al looked extremely impressed. Mum just looked proud.

"Well, the raid we were on went bad, and they sent everyone who was on it home early while the Unspeakables took over," Dad explained. Teddy, who was currently shadowing Dad, nodded.

"Yeah, we were down in Lucius Malfoy's old manor when one of the blokes, Wrenson, tried to pick up Malfoy's old diary. Immediately these markings on the walls lit up, and we barely had a chance to get out of there before the whole place went up in smoke. It was mental."

"Did they call in Bill's team?" Mum asked. Dad nodded. "What about Penny's?" Dad nodded again. Aunt Penelope had become an Unspeakable shortly after the war, and, as far as we could tell, she was doing quite well at it. She had her own unit, so we based our theory off of that, as that was _all_ we knew about her work.

"Now, my lovely wife, I do believe that someone mentioned giving advice to a new Quidditch captain, so I had best go see about that," Dad said. I groaned as he and Ted yanked Jay into the living room, shutting and locking the door before I could follow.

"Are we inviting the Woods to dinner?" I asked my Mum, as she enjoyed spending time with Alicia and Oliver Wood. She nodded; so I walked over to the floo-in the kitchen; since _someone_ locked me out of the living room-to invite them over.

Alicia saw me just as my head came through to their grate. "Oh hello Phoenix, would my boy happen to be over there with you? He got his Hogwarts letter, then he flooed away before I could ask him about exams, supplies, or anything else!"

"Yes, he's over here, and actually I was flooing to-oh hello Mr. Wood! Did you just get home from practice? How was it? The weather's wonderful for Quidditch today, Al and I have been out since early this morning!"

Oliver chuckled, "Hello Phoenix, and again, please just call me Oliver. Yes I did just get home from practice, and the weather is perfect today! What are you working on?"

"Well, actually my Mum wanted me to invite you two, as well as Jay but he's already there so I suppose that would be redundant, over for dinner, so perhaps I could show you afterwards, if that's alright?"

"Oh, dinner would be lovely. I suppose your Mum would be starting dinner around this time, so I'd best floo over right after you to help her out. Ollie, you can floo over after you change," Alicia said.

"Yes ma'am. I'll just head back over and let Mum know. See you in a moment Alicia, Mr. Wood."

"Phoenix call me Ol-," I laughed as I heard Oliver begin to shout at me for calling him Mr. Wood, again. I yanked my head out of the grate, shouting to Mum that Alicia was going to be following me before heading up to my room. Along the way I passed Lily, who was writing her friends.

"Hey Lil," I said, pausing in her doorway.

"Hey Phoenix!" Lily sang back, standing on her tiptoe to reach for her owl, which was on top of her dresser. "If you need to borrow my owl again you'll have to use James', I'll be writing Allie back and forth for the next few days. We're trying to figure out a birthday present for Lorcan and Lysander. You know, we really should get you a pet. I don't know why you don't already have one, everyone else does, and you _love_ animals!"

"Just never found one that seemed just right, I guess. Kind of wanted a connection, like Dad described with Hedwig, or Aunt Hermione with Crookshanks. And I just figured I should let you know, Alicia and Oliver are going to kip over for dinner, so you may want to change out of your pajamas."

"Well, perhaps this year when we go to Diagon Alley you will. And thank you!" I smiled at my little sister before turning and continuing on my way to my room.

I debated taking my hair out of my favorite knotted twist (which Uncle Charlie had recently told me was called a "Dragon's Twist", since it was invented by the female dragon keepers to keep their hair from getting scorched) but Rox had been pushing the idea of "messy cute" on me recently, so I left it. I pulled on a pair of shorts, an older pair that would still allow me to play Quidditch later, and an over-sized shirt. Finally, I pulled on my converse, and deemed my outfit acceptable.

"Hello again Phoenix, you look lovely," Alicia said sweetly as I came down the stairs.

"Thank you Alicia! Has Mr. Wood come yet?" I asked as I hopped up on the counter to watch them cook. When I was younger I had always tried to help out in the kitchen, but sadly, despite coming from a large family of rather good chefs, I couldn't boil water.

"Yes dear, he's in the living room. I'm so excited for Jay; Quidditch captain is such a big honor! Though, we're quite lucky he has you to help him out, with his OWLs this year he'll have quite a bit on his plate. Though I imagine your NEWT year you'll have even more! Obviously you'll be captain after Jay, you're the best pick for it, and I simply can't imagine you not being Head Girl, or at the very least Prefect."

I felt a dark blush spread across my cheeks as she praised me. I hadn't known that Alicia thought so highly of me, "Thank you ma'am. I would be honored to be captain, as well as Head Girl or Prefect."

She smiled at me in response. Suddenly the door to the living room burst open, and I was outraged to see James and Al rush out, as well as Oliver, Dad, Teddy and Jay.

"Sexist!" I cried. Teddy laughed, scooping me off the counter and rushing towards the back door.

"Alicia, Lily, Ginny! Drop what you're doing, put a warming spell on that, and come outside! Impromptu garden Quidditch match!" Dad yelled. Mum giggled, throwing warming spells at the food as she and Alicia rushed towards the door. Over Ted's shoulder I saw Lily skipping down the stairs, her hair practically falling out of the Dragon Twist she had attempted. As soon as Teddy set me down outside I ran over and fixed it, smiling at her thanks, before darting over to snatch my broom from Jay. Jay grinned, holding the broomstick high in the air.

"Jay! Come on! I can't even jump that high! You put that down _now_!" Jay just laughed as I crossed my arms and gave him my best Weasley glare. I smirked as he quickly lowered his arm, but it quickly changed to a scowl as he threw the broomstick at me.

"Jay! That's not funny! This is a Nimbus 2101! If you messed this up I would have been so mad! Now I have to clean it, again, and I just did it this morning!" I wailed. Jay laughed at me (again) before picking me up and throwing me over his shoulder. "Jay I-don't-know-your-middle-name Wood, you'd best put me down! Seriously I'm going to fall, and that's a long way for a little person!"

"Phoe, you've fallen off your broom twice since I've met you, my 6 feet 1 inch is nothing!" He laughed.

"What do you mean, 'twice since I've met you'?" My Mum asked suddenly.

"Erm, well you know, when we practice our dives they aren't always perfect, and well sometimes…you…fall…off?" Jay offered. I shook my head, clucking my tongue at his sad attempt at lying.

Mum kept eying us, but luckily Oliver decided he couldn't take it anymore. "Quidditch!" He screamed, grabbing his broom and flying towards the far hoop. Teddy immediately took to the other hoop. Dad followed Oliver, flying over to be his Seeker, while Al, who was decent at Seeking as well as Keeping, flew over to Teddy. Mum grinned, picking up a Beater's bat and winking at James, who stared at her with wide eyes. She flew over to Oliver and Dad, Jay and Alicia quickly following her. James looked at me before flying off towards Teddy, leaving Lily and I with a Beater's bat.

"I'll do this," Lily said, lifting the bat that was nearly as long as her arm.

"Lily, you do know that you use that to…hurt people…right?" Lily just gave me a grin before taking to the air. I quickly followed.

"Alright, garden Quidditch, same rules as the game only with less players! Your player gets injured, guess you're down a player!" Mum yelled, flying down to the box as she spoke, "Good luck and may the best team win. Heads up!" With that she kicked open the box and sent a Bludger hurling towards us.

Jay dove, reaching for the Quaffle. I flew towards him as fast as I could and snagged the Quaffle from his fingertips.

I flew towards Oliver, tossing the Quaffle to James and swerving to avoid Alicia. Suddenly I heard a loud crack, and Alicia barely had time to dodge as a Bludger shot at her. I twisted around on my broom to see Lily grinning at me, her bat still extended.

"Shite Lils!" Teddy yelled, ignoring the glare his language earned from Mum. James flung the Quaffle back at me, and I decided to try my hand at the move I had been practicing earlier with Al. I shot straight forward, barely bringing my broom into a loop before I crashed into Oliver. I eased out of my turn just before I reached the goal post, and threw the Quaffle through the hoop. I flipped around again before I could hit the goal, and remembered to angle my curve so that I didn't end up much to close with Oliver.

Instead I ended up nose-to-nose with Jay.

I laughed as he jumped backwards, his face turning bright red. I caught the Quaffle from the side and veered around my still-startled boyfriend to take another shot at the hoop.

Oliver missed his block, and this time Alicia grabbed the Quaffle. She flew towards Teddy before being forced to drop it as Lily shot another Bludger at her.

"Lily! Try and kill someone else for a change!" She whinged. Lily giggled before taking aim yet again, this time at Jay, who had picked up the fallen Quaffle.

I flew up on Jay's right and bumped into him, trying to throw him into the Bludger's path.

"Oi! Woman, where's the love?" Jay yelled. I laughed, giving him another shove before trying to grab the Quaffle from him.

The game continued much like that, with my team winning after Al snatched the Snitch from under Dad's nose.

"Lily Luna! Do you realize how fantastic you are?" I called. Lily blushed as she landed her broom.

"You're trying out for the team. We're down a Beater and I think you would work fantastically with Nikki. Tryouts are the first Saturday of the school year, and I expect you to practice until then," Jay told her.

"Yeah, I can help you out if you'd like. Nikki and I are good friends, and we've been talking about what sort of things she'd like to see in a partner. You're swing is really great, but you tend to just hit and sit. When you swing you should follow through with the bat. Have your whole body turned with your bat, but always be aware of your surroundings," I told her. Lily grinned at me, rushing forward and throwing her arms around Jay and I.

Dinner was loud, per usual, and I teased Oliver by calling him 'Mr. Wood' the whole night. I also learned that Jay's middle name was 'Alexander', which I fully intended to use at every available opportunity. By the time our parents and Ted were on their second glass of firewhiskey, Jay and I decided to go for a walk. True to form, our walk ended up the same way as last time, snogging on the Quidditch Pitch.

"We should do this more often," Jay said softly a while later.

"What, snog? I mean we can, I just thought-"

"No no, I just mean go for walks and sit together. Look at the stars Phoe, aren't they pretty?"

I followed his gaze upward. Above us a hundred stars lit up the sky. I automatically found Sirius, before looking at the stars as a whole.

They were beautiful.

"Gods this is gorgeous," I whispered in awe.

Jay never dropped his gaze from the sky, "You're gorgeous."

I blushed, "You're not even looking at me."

He just smiled. "I don't need to. You're always gorgeous. You're gorgeous when you first wake up after we pass out on the sofa, with a head full of bedhead. You're gorgeous when we've just finished with a Quidditch practice in the pouring rain. You're gorgeous when you pout, when you laugh, and when you're completely focused during a Quidditch match. You're gorgeous with and without makeup. Most of all you're gorgeous on the inside, which is what I like best about you." He finally pulled his gaze away from the sky to stare into my eyes.

"I really like you…Alexander," I whispered, smirking as I pulled his lips back to mine.

* * *

We picked up our school supplies the following Sunday. I spent most of my time either in the bookstore, the Quidditch supplies store, or in the Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. It wasn't until we were about to leave that I found myself being dragged towards another store.

"You're going to look at animals and we are GOING to find you the perfect one, even if we have to pick up every animal in the store before we do!" My little sister demanded. I simply stared at her in bewilderment.

Honestly, my first year I nearly caved and just bought a pet. After all, Hagrid had bought Hedwig for my Dad, and she had been so perfect he hadn't had his own owl since, so why shouldn't I find one if I was picking it out on my own? Mum, whose pets had all been hand-me-downs until she got a little Pygmy Puff called Arnold, encouraged me to just choose. It wasn't until Dad had told me that it was okay if I waited that I decided not to just buy an owl. Each year since then I had gone back, but I had pretty much given up hope after last year when Uncle Charlie took me to a dozen different shops-magical and non-to no avail.

"Lily we probably won't find anything," I protested. Lily just sent me a glare reminiscent of Mum's before yanking open the door to the store.

"Hello girls! Come to look at our Kneazle kittens?" The shop-owner asked. Lily responded before I had even finished processing his question.

"Yes please!" She said sweetly. The man beamed at her before guiding us over to the corner of the store.

"Now, which one of you ladies is looking today?" The man asked.

"Just my sister here, I'm quite happy with the owl I have at home," Lily said.

"Alright, excellent. Now, Kneazles are known to have a bond with their owners. Most Kneazles will open their eyes around six weeks, which would be in two week for these babies, and imprint on whoever owns them at the time. If its true master holds a Kneazle, the Kneazle will mark them. A Kneazle will forever have a bond with their true master, but their loyalties will be to their imprint. If, however, the imprint-ee is also their true master, their bond will be one of the strongest in the world. If a Kneazle's master holds them before their eyes have opened, their eyes will open automatically, and will be fully developed. That way they imprint on their true master. Powerful magic, that of a Kneazle."

I nodded, having looked at several Kneazles before. This time, however, I had an odd feeling. I moved towards the basket, my eyes instantly locking on a tiny, fluffy black kitten.

I reached for her, picking her up, and instantly felt a tingling in my wrist. I moved to look at it when suddenly bright green eyes were staring back at me.

"Of course, Phoenix picks the cat that looks like Dad…or Al! Hey maybe she'll name her cat Alpuss! Ahaha!"

I ignored James as I moved to look at my wrist. The outline of a light grey hawk, its body forming a circle, was now imprinted on my skin.

I then glanced back at my kitten. "Circe. Her name is Circe. Circe was said to have green eyes, and black hair. Her name also could have possibly originated from a term for circle, and is related to the gyre of a hawk, both of which make up my marking." Circe purred back at me, and I knew I had chosen correctly.

Lily beamed, reaching forward to pet Circe, and I made a mental note to buy her something extra for her next birthday as I wrapped my arm around her shoulders.

* * *

"Nix, your bloody cat won't get off of me!" Fred wailed.

"Honestly Fred, quit your whinging! She _likes you_. Seeing as she's a Kneazle, that should be a compliment!" I sighed, rolling my eyes.

"Yeah, well, I don't like her, so she can just shove off!"

Nikki gave Fred a glare, reaching across me to pick Circe off his lap. "Poor little C! Mean old Fred never gave you a chance!" She cradled my Kneazle to her. Circe purred, nuzzling up to Nik. Circle liked Nikki almost as much as she liked Fred, and Fred was only beaten by Jay and I. "So Lils, you're going to be my new partner, huh?"

"Well…I have to make the team first," Lily blushed, looking up from her Transfiguration textbook.

"Lily, you're going to make the team," Al told her simply.

"Yeah, with moves like yours, how could you not?" Scorpius said sweetly. I smiled at him, chuckling as his face reddened at the wording of his statement.

"Oh, so now you're trying to put the moves on a second year?" Rose snapped from her spot on the floor. Rose had seen how everyone-even her father, who had originally whinged and pouted for days-had come to love Scorp after to getting to know him, but Rose still refused to be kind to the poor boy.

"That's not what he meant Rosie. Lay off a bit," James scolded.

"Yeah, and anyways, I was a third year trying to put the moves this one," Jay shifted his legs a bit, jostling me around in his lap, "when she was a second year, do you hate me for that one?"

"No," Rose said, grudgingly.

"Teddy does," Dom sang. Suddenly a tall seventh year walked up behind her.

"So, is this corner of the common room strictly for Weasleys, Potters, and their guests? Because if so, I'd like to apply for an invitation," At this point he gave Dom a disgusting look, and I felt my upper lip curling even as she fluttered her eyelashes back at him.

"Definitely invitation only, and we don't extend them to the likes of you. You'd best get lost," Louis spoke suddenly. I agreed with the quiet third year, but I knew this would do nothing to discourage Dom.

As predicted, Dom merely giggled before whispering, "That's alright, we'll just have to invite ourselves elsewhere." She led the boy away, and I gave Louis a sympathetic look. We all knew Dom's behavior bothered him, but she was either oblivious or just didn't care.

"You know, I do believe Dom's got the right idea. See you lot in a bit," James said cheerily. I glared at his back as he walked away.

Fred no longer assured me that James was merely snogging the Gigglers, and I no longer asked.

"I'm going to go ask Slughorn about this essay," Molly said to no one in particular.

"Hey Ali, do you want to go check out a few extra books for this essay? McGonagall will kill us if we turn it in late," Lily asked Alice. The blonde nodded, and the two drifted away. Hugo, Lorcan and Lysander quickly followed.

"Want to go sneak some food from the kitchens?" Fred asked Scorpius and Al. Both nodded, and Rose followed them out, yelling about how they were breaking the rules.

"You know, I don't approve of sneaking off to…snog…random blokes, or Gigglers, but I would love to sneak of to snog you," Nikki said to Arnold, who grabbed her hand and dragged her out of the room.

"I'm Roxanne Weasley and I approve that message," Roxy said, rushing out with Dalton hot on her heels. I turned back to our little corner to find that Lucy and Lana were headed up to the dorm, and Louis had snuck off when no one was paying attention.

"It never ceases to amaze me how a family as large as yours can clear a room so quickly," Jay said in awe.

"Comes with practice. Between my Uncle George and Fred and James, you learn how to clear a room real quick," I winked at him, and he laughed loudly, kissing me softly before we turned back to our book.

* * *

"Alright, our next event will be actual tryouts. If you couldn't finish your laps or get your broom off the ground, you'd best leave," Jay called.

"That means you McLeay!" I yelled at Dom's latest conquest. He scowled, storming off the field, and I smirked when I saw Dom laughing at him from up in the stands. Louis was beaming from his place next to her, and I winked at him when he looked my way.

"Now, in the past we've typically done this in the order of oldest to youngest. However, the team and I have talked it over, and we've decided to change things up a bit this year," Nikki called.

"As you've been trying out, we've been keeping score on things like stability while flying, pacing and breathing while running, attitude, grades and classwork, and how well we think you'll work together with Nikki." Jay said, "So this year, we will be going in order of those ranked lowest, to highest. Now, it we have several people tied for the same number of points, we will be going in order of youngest to oldest. We're trying to bring a fresh start to all of this, to start a fresh year. This year, the team will be doing things completely differently, so this will just be a taste of it all. First up will be Olsen, Evan."

We started out by just marking names off the list. We determined that if there were no better contestants than these, we would just call off the team that year, or start looking in other houses. Though, we had seen Lily play, so we weren't too concerned about this.

Finally, Jay started on the highest-ranking group. First up, reminding me quite of myself, my second-year baby-sister mounted her broom.

I watched as she flew, feeling an indescribable amount of pride. She was brilliant, her grip perfect, and her swing through after hours of practice over the summer. Her long red hair, ginger like our mother's, and straight rather than curled like mine, was pulled back in the Dragon Twist I had done for her this morning. She was trying to learn how to do it, for, like me, she favored having her hair off of her face, but she found it difficult to do for herself, so I was doing it for her until she learned. The twist revealed her big brown eyes, which I always found incredibly gorgeous, though she told me she wished for my green. I loved watching nearly anyone fly, but my little sister was like a bird in the air.

"She flies a lot like you, you know," Jay whispered in my ear. I smirked as he wrapped his arms around my waist, his clipboard resting against my leg as we simply watched Lily.

"You think?"

"Yeah. You can tell she watched you a lot while she was learning. Her grip is the same, and she's got almost a winged quality. I swear, if either of you ever become an Animagus, you'd be a bloody swan or something," Jay said.

"Do swans even fly?" I tried to keep from laughing.

"I don't bloody know, aren't they supposed to be graceful though?"

I was struggling to keep a straight face, though I felt like falling to the ground and rolling around laughing at my silly boyfriend. But I didn't want anyone to think I was laughing at Lily. Especially not Lils.

Lily did extremely well, but so did several other high scoring try-outs. I really wanted my little sister on the team, but couldn't pick her without knowing she was the absolute best option.

So we dismissed all but the highest scorers, and ran them again.

In the end, we picked Lily, but only because of a charisma that she had with Nikki. Not that we would EVER tell her that. I would have been crushed if the final decision to put me on the team had been because of anything but my skill in Quidditch, and I knew Lily would feel the same way.

"We would like you to know that you three were extremely close, and we had a very difficult time deciding between you. It eventually came down to the slightest of details. The two of you that don't make the main team will be our two reserves, no questions asked. Lily, you're our Beater. You two, you were so, so close. Thank you so much for trying out."

Our new reserves nodded, and I could tell they had noticed how well Nik and Lily worked together.

"Well?" James demanded as we walked towards the bleachers. The rest of our family was gathered around him, waiting impatiently.

"I made the team!" Lily cheered.

We threw a party "in honor of everyone who tried out" that night.

* * *

"Hey Phoenix, do you remember when someone accidentally taught Lily the word bint?" James asked from across the breakfast table to me.

"Oh yeah, that was when she was about three right?"

"Oh hey, I remember that. It was Uncle Ron right?" Molly asked as she sat down.

"Yeah, but then he blamed it on Uncle Harry." Lucy said.

"But Dad had already taught her to blame anything he did on Uncle George right?" Laughed Al.

"Yeah, so Uncle George tried to blame it on our Dad," Dom laughed.

"Who made the mistake of blaming Aunt Hermione," Molly snorted.

"Who put it right back on Uncle Ron!" Finished Roxy. We all began laughing hysterically.

Suddenly there was a large pop from the entrance to the Great Hall.

Heads whirled around as smoke began to pour from the doorway. Hearts began whizzing through the Hall, and a banner dropped from the ceiling.

 _Phoenix Potter, will you please go to Hogsmeade with me this weekend?_

Jay walked into the Great Hall with a handful of orchids, my favorite flower. I could hear girls 'awing' around me, and I noticed Fred leaning against the wall just inside the Great Hall.

I smirked, holding up my wand and letting off a bang. The smoke from the bang slowly turned into a ribbon, which formed the words:

 _Jay Alexander Wood, of course I will._

The Great Hall broke into applause, but I ignored it as I crossed the Hall, grabbing my boyfriend by the shirt and backing him out of the Hall. I winked at Fred as we passed, but I didn't let anything distract me as I backed Jay into a secret passageway. I pushed him up against the wall and began snogging him.

My bouquet was slightly flat on one side when we remembered to pick it up off the ground a while later.

* * *

 **Now, for anyone who may need clarification, Penelope, or Penny, is Percy's wife. And she was Penelope Clearwater. I loved Percy and Penelope together, as I think it made him a bit more human. Now, I know according to J.K. Percy married a woman named Audrey, but I just loved the idea of Percy Weasley, former traitor, marrying a muggleborn. So in my stories they ended up together!**

 **Also, I hope my introductions on some chapters aren't too confusing. Basically I'm trying to fill in bits of background information on what's going on elsewhere in the wizarding world, with Minister Hastings. That way, when the real action starts up from his end, the details will make sense. Also, I do try and research a lot of things about Egypt that pertain to the chapter, but some things I do make up so they make sense. For example, Egyptian slaves really did go on strike, but obviously they didn't have symbols on their bodies that forced them to work…that we know of…**

 **And, fun fact: Phoenix's incapability in the kitchen is based off of my own. Honestly, everyone in my family can cook (and I do have a large family), yet just the other night I burnt milk while trying to boil it for pasta. ~sob~ It's quite sad, for I rather like food.**

 **I've always pictured Ginny as a very versatile player. In the books she plays both Seeker and Chaser, but I think that while practicing in secret she would have tried her hand at everything she could, so that she could see what she was best at, in hopes of convincing her brothers to let her play. Therefore I had Gin playing Beater in this chapter. Plus, Ginny's bad-arse, so I could totally see her wielding a Beater's bat and giving her son a wicked-scary grin. Sorry if you don't like this, but I'm telling this story the way I imagine it, and that was it.**

 **I love my Greek mythology! I'm also a fan of Percy Jackson, so when it came time to buy Phoenix a pet, Circe was perfect! I loved her in those books, as I thought she was quite funny. I also wanted a creature that was protective, but also one that I could play with a bit, in terms of tradition. A Kneazle seemed perfect, so that's what I went with.**

 **You guys don't even understand how happy I am to be writing out full scenes again! Obviously the decision to summarize the years like I did in her second and third year was made for a reason, but it's lovely to be able to write actual dialogue again. Character development is one of my favorite things to write, especially when the character is supposed to be witty. Comebacks are the best thing ever!**

 **This chapter was a good deal of fun. I love family scenes; they make me happy. Coming from a big and slightly chaotic family, family scenes are easy and fun to write. And, who knows? Some of these scenes may be things that happened to my family in real life…minus the magic of course.**

 **Sorry for such a long Author's Note at the end here, but I wanted to let you guys know all of that, should you be interested in knowing it.**

 **Thank you for reading, reviewing, favoriting, and following!**

 **Xx~IfIOnlyWereAWeasley**


	11. Dates

**Author's Note: I don't own Harry Potter; if I did, Percy would have married Penelope Clearwater.**

* * *

 **Dates**

* * *

"Phoenix! Wake up, you have a date today!" I woke up to my deranged cousin throwing me out of bed.

"Dom, what in Merlin's name are you doing?" I whinged, looking up at her from my new spot on the floor.

"We're helping you get ready for your date! Now, get your skinny arse in the shower. We're giving you 15 minutes; if you aren't back out here by then I'm sending Roxy in after you! Don't forget to shave your legs!" Dom ordered. I rushed towards the shower, muttering about insane cousins. Honestly, why would I need to shave my legs, it was almost October!

Still, I didn't doubt that Dominique would throw Roxy in the shower with me, nor did I doubt that Roxy would drag me out, no matter what state I was in, so I showered as quickly as I could.

When I had finished, I walked back into the room and found that it was now utter chaos. Roxy and Dom were digging through my clothes, Rose was in my jewelry, Lucy and Lana was looking at shoes, and Molly was pulling out make-up. The only calm spot was my bed, where Lily and Alice were sitting.

I moved towards Lily, who held a brush in one hand, and sat down on the edge of my bed. She immediately started brushing out my hair.

"Do you want me to dry it?" I asked her.

"That would be good. Alice and I supposed to style it, but we were just thinking of having it down. You normally wear it up, so we thought this would be enough change that perhaps Dom will let you get away with it," Lily responded. I nodded, drying my hair with my wand, and soon felt Alice rearranging my curls. I sat there for a few minutes, enjoying the calmness of my little sister and her best friend, until Alice deemed me "Done."

I withheld a groan. When Roxy had her first date we had done much the same thing. I knew I wouldn't enjoy the next step of the "preparation process" as much as she had.

"Don't be like that! I can see it on your face Phoenix; you're pouting! I _wish_ you lot had been here to help me get ready for my first date! All I had was Vic and Molly!" Dom scolded. I was quite grateful that Molly, who was one of my mellower cousins, was tasked with doing the next step, which was make-up. She didn't go as light as I would have liked, but she didn't smother me in it either.

"Here Phoe, we picked this out, and it's very…you. We didn't want you to be uncomfortable, after all," Rox said, holding out a bundle of clothes. I quickly changed, not shy of doing it in front of my cousins or Lana (whom I had to change in front of daily). Alice was a sweetheart and turned away.

I was actually quite pleased with my look. I had been dressed in my favorite Holyhead Harpies shirt, which was cream colored and fell down to mid-thigh, and a pair of dark-wash skinny jeans. Over that I wore a brown leather jacket and brown leather boots, which came up to my knees. The boots were quite flat, which I thanked Lana and Lucy for after my date. Rose had also picked out a pair of diamond stud earrings that Fred had given me for my last birthday.

All in all, I was comfortable, and I still felt like myself, yet I looked dressed up enough for a date.

"Thank you," I told my cousins. I just received a series of smirks and smug looks in response.

"Jay's going to like it," Dom said with a grin.

* * *

"You look really pretty," Jay told me as we walked hand-in-hand through Hogsmeade.

"Thank you. You look nice as well."

It was true. He had on a green shirt, which both showed off his muscles and brought out the green in his eyes. He also had on dark jeans, and I had found that his arse looked almost as nice in jeans as they did in his Quidditch uniform.

"Thanks love. So, what would you like to do today?" He asked.

"Do you want to walk to the Shrieking Shack?" I asked hopefully. He nodded, and we strolled in the direction of the shack.

Jay swung our hands as we walked, and I couldn't help but laugh at how happy he seemed. He had a goofy grin spread across his face, and I knew I probably wore one to match. The air was brisk, and by the time we reached the shack Jay had wrapped his arm around my waist to keep me warm.

"It's quite cold for September," Jay observed.

"It's October on Monday, but yes, I agree."

"Would you like to walk back and get some Butterbeer?" He offered.

"That sounds wonderful. Though, it's quite a long walk back, and it _is_ , as you said, rather cold…" I said, taking a step closer to him. He grinned pulling me to him and snogging me thoroughly.

"You know," I told him as we walked back towards town a while later, "You're rather good at that."

"As are you Miss Potter."

"Why thank you Mr. Alexander."

"Aw, why do you have to call me that?" Jay whinged dramatically.

"Well I wasn't about to call you Mr. Wood! That's what I call your dad," I said, crinkling my nose in disgust.

"Gross, I didn't think of that!"

I began laughing, and Jay soon joined in. By the time we reached The Three Broomsticks we were clutching at each other to keep from falling over, and Jay's face was red with both laugher and the cold. He looked rather adorable.

"Two Butterbeers please!" Jay called. Hannah Longbottom, the landlady, grinned, waving at us.

"Do you want to get lunch? It's only 11:30, but I don't know if you ate this morning?" Jay asked.

"Oh yes please, I haven't eaten at all today!" I responded eagerly.

Jay laughed," You Weasley's and your food."

"I am a Potter, thank you very much," I told him, pretending to be offended.

"Only on your Dad's side," Jay said teasingly. I stuck my tongue out at him in response.

"Here you go kids, anything else I can get for you?" Hannah asked as she walked up, Butterbeers in hand.

"Can I have fish and chips please?" Jay asked.

"Sure dear, anything for you?" She turned to me.

"I'll have the same please."

"Of course Phoenix."

"Thank you Hannah!" I said, then turned back to see Jay looking at me disbelievingly, "What?"

"How is it that you know everybody?" Jay asked. I shrugged before changing the topic.

"I think this year is going to be a good one, Quidditch-wise, if we work hard for it. If the weather today is anything to go off of, we should be practicing earlier and later in the day, to get used to the cold," I told Jay.

He nodded, "I was thinking the same thing. Our new training regimen should work out well too. Quidditch is more of a physical sport than people realize, having our team in good shape should be very beneficial."

We continued chatting over lunch. Afterwards Jay and I argued over how we would pay, which ended with him threatening to hex me if I didn't let him get the tab.

"Such a bloody romantic," I said sarcastically. He just winked before dropping a kiss onto my forehead.

"So do you want to go to the bookstore?" He asked me.

"Sounds perfect," I smiled at him.

After we visited the bookstore and Honeydukes, we decided it was time to head back up to the castle. Just as we were leaving, however, one of the stores started playing a song by The Weird Sisters.

I grinned up at Jay. The song was a classic, but it was one of my favorites.

Suddenly Jay turned, taking one of my hands in both of his and giving a little mock bow.

"May I have this dance?" He asked, his eyes glittering playfully.

"You're ridiculous!" I laughed.

"So, is that a yes, or…?"

"I'd _love_ to dance with you Jay."

So we danced in the center of the square, spinning in the brisk autumn hair until our noses were bright red and Slughorn, who was the chaperone for the day, came to inform us (with a broad smile, and a hearty chuckle) that the last carriage was leaving soon. We then walked to the carriage hand-in-hand. Neither of us particularly minded when Slughorn rode back with us. He played favorites, so he merely winked when Jay pulled me all but into his lap, then began telling me how glad he was that I was interested in Potions and took extra classes. He spent the whole ride telling me that I should consider a career in Potions. I had to elbow Jay to keep him from laughing.

"Thank Merlin that's over," I told Jay as we walked into the Great Hall for dinner.

"I don't know, I rather enjoyed it," Jay said teasingly. I elbowed him again, and he mimed being hurt.

"You two are _so_ adorable! Were you two dancing all this time? Honestly, I couldn't believe it when you two started, it was the sweetest thing I've ever seen!" Dom gushed as we sat down.

"It was really fun, thank you all again for your help getting ready. And thank you, Freddy, for helping Jay when he asked me," I said.

"Course Nix," Fred said, ruffling my hair.

"No problem Phoe. We could help you more often, if you'd like," Roxy offered. My female cousins nodded, while Lily gave me a bit of a pitying smile.

"Oh, n-no, that's quite alright thank you," I stuttered. Jay and Fred were shaking with laugher on either side of me, and I gave both a sharp jab with my elbows.

After dinner I was intercepted by my favorite Ravenclaw.

"Hello Phoenix," Coleen Creevey said sweetly. I smiled at the girl.

"'Lo Coleen."

"I was in Hogsmeade today, and I got some really cute pictures of you and Jay. I wasn't following you, I promise, I just ran into you a lot!" Coleen assured me, giggling.

"I wouldn't have thought you were! Could I buy them off of you?" I asked her.

"Oh you don't have to buy them! And don't you want to see them first?"

"I want to buy them from you. Your pictures are stunning, and you deserve compensation. And I'd love to see them, I just knew they'd be amazing without having to see them first," I told the girl.

"Here, have at them."

She attempted to walk away, but I reached out a hand, pulling her back.

"Coleen I'm serious. You deserve payment, these are gorgeous!" I ignored her protests as I dug a hand into my pocket, pulling out a handful of coins and handing them to her.

"Thank you Phoenix. You're too kind," Coleen said, gazing at the galleons in her hand.

"No problem. How did you do on that Charms essay you were working on in the Library last week?" I asked her.

"Quite well, thank you. Say, aren't you taking your OWL in that class this year?"

"Ugh, yeah don't remind me. I'm glad I'll only be taking one this year. Next year will be a nightmare, but than Merlin I'll have one less," I said.

She giggled, "Just think, you can help me with my OWLs in two years, since you'll already be a NEWT student and all."

"Joy," I said sarcastically. She giggled again. "Thank you again Coleen. Good night."

"Good night Phoenix," She said, a bit dreamily.

I turned around to see Fred, Jay and, to my surprise, James, waiting for me.

"Who's that?" James asked me as we began walking back towards the Common Room.

"Coleen Creevey. She's in Al's year," I told him.

"She's bloody gorgeous."

"She's also brilliant, much too intelligent for the likes of you. You will _not_ make her one of your conquests," I told him firmly.

James held up his hands defensively, "Alright, Merlin. Merely an observation."

I glared at him warningly, then turned to Fred.

"Hey Fred, are we still on for pranking the pitch before the next game?" I asked him. Jay whirled around to face me in horror.

"You're planning on pranking the _Quidditch Pitch_?"

"Oh don't worry mate, she beat me over the head with a book when I originally suggested it," Fred assured him before giving the Fat Lady the password.

"Yeah, we finally agreed on what we have now though."

"Which is…?"

I smirked at my boyfriend, standing on my tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek.

"Good night boys," I sang, turning and walking up the stairs towards my dorm.

* * *

"Now, this year there will be much more work than there has been in this class previously. If you are having any difficulties I expect you to come to me immediately. Many students do not take the OWLs seriously, as they still have the NEWTs later on. But, what is _crucial_ to understand is this: if you do not pass the OWLs _there will be no NEWTs_. You _must_ pass your OWL in order to take the NEWT class. In fact, most classes require you to do more than pass. Many teachers will request an Exceeds Expectations or even an Outstanding in order to get into their NEWT classes," Flitwick said. He had been making this speech at the beginning of every class, and it seemed as though he would continue to make it until after the OWLs were over.

"Now, today we will be learning a Cheering Charm. This will most likely be on your exam, so pay special attention to this one. The wand movement makes a small curve to the right, then a larger curve to the left. It looks a bit like a grin see?" Flitwick demonstrated the motion, leaving a purple trail so that we could see what it looked like.

"Practice the movement a few times now! Does everyone have it down? Excellent. Now the incantation is _Hilaritate_. I would like you to give it a go on your partner now, come on!"

I turned towards Jay, giving him a grin. Flitwick had decided that, since this was our OWL year, he would let us try again with selecting our own seats. He had been pleasantly surprised to see Don and Arnold stay separate, as Don had sat with Ben Nott and Nikki had remained with Arnold. Jay and I had gone back to sitting next to each other, though we had been concerned we would have to split up last week, when Nikki and Arnold had broken up. We had been (a bit unwillingly) prepared to move, me next to Nik and Jay next to Arnold, but the split had ended up a mutual one, and the two decided to remain friends and, therefor, Charms partners.

"Do you want me to go first or do you want to?" I asked Jay.

"You can go first," He said. I rolled back my sleeves, ignoring his snicker at my "nerdy habit", then pointed my wand at his face.

The laugh quickly faded upon finding himself at wand-point.

" _Hilaritate_." I said confidently.

Instantly a broad grin spread across Jay's face.

"Mr. Wood," Flitwick's voice came from across the room, "How are you feeling?"

"I'm great professor, never better."

"20 points to Gryffindor, and excellent job Miss Potter!" Flitwick squeaked.

Jay turned his wand towards me.

" _Hilaritate_."

* * *

I was giggling as we entered the Great Hall for lunch. There was a cloud directly over the Gryffindor table that _definitely_ looked like a snake, and I found it hilarious.

"Hey Nix, how was Charms?" Fred asked as I sat down. He had a lot of freckles; I wonder if you could play connect the dots with them? Would it make a shape? Oh, I bet it would make a swear, I could just imagine Aunt Angelina's face if Fred's freckles spelt out a swear.

I began laughing at the mental image.

"Erm…Jay, what's wrong with my sister?" James asked. His hair stuck up like a porcupine.

I laughed harder.

"We covered Cheering charms in class today. Mine was a bit strong," Jay said simply. He was still grinning from my spell, and I noticed how white his teeth were. If they were any whiter they'd sparkle like television characters Aunt Hermione had shown me.

The mental image of Jay with sparkly teeth quickly morphed into an image of Jay sparkling, like a vampire in a movie I had seen.

I began crying, I was laughing so hard.

"It will wear off soon," Jay said. Just then, Nikki sat down in the seat next to me, laughing hysterically.

"Phoenix, you'll…ha…never guess…aha….what I just saw," She could barely speak, she was laughing so hard.

"What?" I demanded.

"Your little…ha ha…sister was talking to…ah ha ha…a boy!" She giggled.

"WHAT?" James shouted, jumping out of his seat. Jay and Fred quickly ran after him.

"Uh oh, someone's in trouuuble!" I sang.

"His face gets so red when he's angry!" Nikki stage whispered.

We dissolved into laugher.

* * *

"Lily Luna!" I sang, dancing into my sister's room and falling onto her bed. The Cheering charm had mostly worn off, but I was still in a good mood. "Who's the boy little sister?"

"He's just a boy from Potions. He wanted to know how I kept my salve from blowing up, so I told him that you have to add Eye of Newt after you stir counter-clockwise. The poor boy was absolutely terrified when James came flying around the corner, demanding to know why I was talking to _a boy_. I saw fit to remind him that three of my best friends were boys, as was he. He tried to tell me that he was a man, and seemed very confused when I laughed at him," Lily said with a smirk. I began laughing loudly.

Suddenly the door burst open, and I could see a blonde sway in.

"Ugh, Potter couldn't you possibly be quiet for ten minutes. People are going to think there's a herd of hyenas in here!" She whinged in an airy voice.

I narrowed my eyes at her. Girls her age shouldn't be _swaying_ anywhere, nor should they speak so breathlessly, or wear so much make-up. And how dare she talk to me like that?

"Excuse me?" I snapped standing up straight. I felt the last effects of my Cheering charm wear off as her eyes widened in shock. That _bint_ had thought she was talking to Lily like that?

"You'd best learn a bit of respect, you hear me girl?" I was seeing red as the girl paled further, and Lily tugged on my sleeve, trying to get me to stop. I turned to face her.

"Lily, has she spoken to you or Alice like this before?" I demanded. Lily's eyes filled with tears and I knew that was a yes. I whipped back around to face the girl again. I felt my face heating up with the famous Weasley flush, and the girl took a step back.

" _How dare you_? You think you can go around treating them like that? I know for a fact that neither of those girls have ever done a thing to you. So what, you're jealous? My sister and Alice are great, and I would understand being jealous. But you won't get to be like them by being cruel. So fix your act, or I'll make your life hell, and you can bet my family will help. You need to learn that no one likes a bully. If I hear that you've been cruel to them again, you'll regret it. Also, it would be a cackle of hyenas, for your information," With that, I grabbed Lily's hand, dragging her from the room. I walked down to the Common Room, still pulling her behind me.

"Family meeting," I told Dom, who was now the oldest. Eyes wide, probably at the rage I knew was still showing on my face, she turned, rushing my family members up the stairs towards James and Fred's room, our new meeting room since everyone could access the boys' dorm.

"Lana, would you mind running and checking the girls' dorms for any Weasleys before you come up?" I asked.

"Me? You want me to come to your family meeting?" Lana asked hesitantly.

"Yeah, you've never been anything but good to our family, and I think you should get to be a part of our meetings," I told her. Her eyes were suspiciously shiny as she ran up the stairs.

"You three are coming as well," I said, pointing to Alice, Lorcan and Lysander. Then I narrowed my eyes at Alice. "Especially you."

Alice looked a bit nervous, but she would find out why I was demanding she come soon enough, so I wasn't too worried about it.

"Jay, are you coming?"

"Y-yeah, of course," My boyfriend said, looking surprised.

"You too Dalton," I told the Ravenclaw. He smiled at me, and got up from the armchair he and Roxy had been sitting in to follow me up to James' room.

I ducked into the 3rd year boys' dorm, grabbing Scorp and dragged him into the 4th year dorm as well.

Eyes widened as I walked in with non-Potters or Weasleys, but no one said anything. Everyone waited until Lana and Rose entered.

Rose's eyes narrowed as she spotted Scorpius sitting next to Al.

"I thought this was a _family_ meeting," She spat.

"He'll be family when you marry him in ten years," Fred muttered.

"He's here because he's as good as family, as are the rest of them. Now, sit down, I have something important to say," I said coldly, speaking over Fred before he could really set her off.

Everyone began exchanging nervous looks as I dragged Lily and Alice to the front of the room. Alice was a few inches taller than me, but both seemed small under my glare.

"Would you like to share with the class Lily?" I demanded. She shook her head. "How about you Alice? Any idea what this is about?" Alice looked terrified, and she was quick to shake her head no.

"Fine, then I'll tell it as I saw it. See, today I was in Lily's dorm, laughing at a joke she had made, when some _bimbo_ came in, and thought that I was Lily. So she demands that Lily shut up, and compares my laughter, which she thought was Lily's, to a hyena. When I asked Lily about it, it would seem that the bint had been tormenting her and Alice for quite some time. Am I right?" Both girls ducked their heads.

"What?" James spat angrily from behind me. I ignored him as I continued.

"What has she been saying to you?" I asked softly. Lily started to cry, and my heart broke.

"She said…she said that we were u-ugly, and stupid. She said t-that we only get things because of our p-parents, and that we're never going to do anything in life for ourselves. She's always ni-nicking our stuff, or messing with it, or us. She's been so m-mean!" Lily sobbed. Alice began crying as well, and I rushed forward, wrapping my arms around both girls.

"Why didn't you say something?" Dom asked guiltily. I turned around to see a mixture of guilt and anger on my family and friends' faces. None of us had even suspected that Lily and Alice had been being bullied.

"We didn't know what to do!" Alice wailed.

"If it happens again you let us know, you hear me? I already told her what would happen if she did it again, that's the only warning she'll be getting," I told them.

"Yeah, and if it happens again we'll go to McGonagall," Rose said firmly.

"No. If it happens again, we'll take care of it," Fred said darkly, meeting my eyes. I nodded.

"Thank you," Lily whispered.

"For what? Lils, we're family, we'll always take care of each other," Roxy said.

"Well, thank you for looking out for me as well," Alice said softly. We all exchanged glances, but it was Rose who said what we were all thinking.

"We're family," She repeated, a light blush spreading across her face as she contradicted her earlier argument. I smiled at her.

"Thank you," Alice said again.

"Next time, no secrets you lot. We can't do that," Roxy said firmly.

There was total silence for a moment, then…

"I'm dating a Slytherin," Molly blurted out suddenly.

"I'm failing Charms," James admitted.

"I have a really big crush on someone, but I'm too scared to ask her out," Fred said nervously.

"I've slept with every bloke in my grade," Dom muttered.

"I've cried because you get around," Louis said to Dom, his ears red but his head held high.

"I…I'm not ready to tell you yet, but I will be…soon," Hugo said, not looking up from the floor.

The non-family members were looking around, bewildered, but the rest of the family was trying to quickly sort out the sudden rush of secrets.

"Okay…" I looked at Roxy, Al, Rose and Lucy, as we had been the only ones in the family who hadn't admitted to having a secret today.

"Molls, which Slytherin?" Roxy started.

Molly looked around nervously, but the looks she received were only curious. Ben had been around a lot since my second year, and the family had really grown to like him, so we weren't quite so quick to judge a Slytherin.

"Um, well his name's Philip Blaine, he's really funny, he can be a bit sharp, but I like him a lot," Molly said shyly.

"He sounds great," I assured Molly. I then turned to James, "James, you're failing Charms? Why didn't you say something? I can help you!"

"I don't need help!" James snapped.

"James, it's not a bad thing. We were just telling Lily and Ali that we'll all help each other. I don't mind, and Mum would kill you if she knew you were failing," I told him.

"I didn't want to bother you though," James said quietly, "You have an OWL this year."

"I'll still help you," I told my twin.

"Thanks Phoe."

"Oh, and Fred?" I said, turning to my favorite cousin.

"Yeah Nix?" Fred asked, sounding surprisingly nervous.

"We'll be talking about this later."

He simply nodded.

"Dom, Louis…you two need to talk later," Al told them. They both nodded.

"And Hughie, take your time. We'll be ready when you want to tell us," Rose said sweetly to her little brother.

"Really?" Hugo asked, looked surprised but hopeful.

"Of course. You told us you have a secret, that's enough for us right now. We don't want to pressure you," Rose said, giving him a hug. Across the room, Scorpius looked on with surprise. Rosie could be harsh, but she also loved her family very, very much.

"So, does anyone else have anything to confess?" Al asked.

Our family exchanged glances, then decidedly shook our heads. We then turned to our friends.

"Erm, I think we're good as well," Jay said. The rest quickly nodded.

"Excellent. Exploding Snap anyone?" James asked, moving towards his dresser. Everyone rushed forward, gathering around on beds and the floor. I briefly wondered where James' roommates had been sent, but the thought was quickly lost as I noticed Fred trying to sneak over to his bed without me noticing.

"Nice try mister," I said, grabbing him by the back of his shirt. "This way."

I walked down the Common Room, Fred following. There I found the other 4th year Gryffindor boys sitting on the couch.

"Hey, you lot can go back up if you'd like. They're just playing a few rounds of Exploding Snap," I told them.

"I'm good. I like my eyebrows where they are, thanks," Techen said, and Guin was quick to nod in agreement.

Holland, however, looked at me and said, "Only if you'll be playing."

I was a bit confused. What the hell was he getting at?

"Um, well actually I was heading out for a bit, that's why I was walking in the other direction, but maybe in a while? James is up there though, as is Jay, so you wouldn't be without people you knew," I told him. I heard Freddy snickering behind me, and I assumed it was because I had pointed out that I was (obviously) walking _away_ from their dorm.

I began walking out again when I noticed Holland glaring at Fred. I wondered if they had a bit of a rivalry, but I wasn't too concerned. If they really had an issue, Fred and I would have pranked him by now.

I thought I heard Fred whisper, "Shut down," but that didn't exactly make sense, so I figured I must have heard wrong.

Boys.

Fred and I walked out of the Common Room and into the hallway. As we walked, I asked him about his rivalry with Holland. To my surprise, he snorted before telling me that he had no rivalry with him. When I asked him about the glares Holland was giving him, he told me I needed to figure it out myself, or, "better yet", ask Jay about it.

I decided that I would not, under any circumstances, be asking Jay.

When we finally reached an abandoned classroom, I wasted no time blurting out what I had been wondering since he admitted to having a crush.

"Who is she? How long have you liked her? What do you like about her? Does James know? Does Holland? Is she a Gryffindor? Is she funny? Which classes do you have with her? Do you flirt with her? Does she flirt back? Why didn't you tell me?"

Fred waited patiently until I was done speaking, then said, "I've liked her for about a year," I tried not to be hurt at this, "She is funny, that's one of the things I like about her, though she's kind of quiet. No James doesn't know, no one does. And I don't flirt with her. I don't talk to her at all. She is a Gryffindor, and I didn't tell you because…well I didn't think I had a chance with her. And…she's in almost all my classes."

I gasped as I realized that meant she was in our year, and there was only one Gryffindor girl in our year who wasn't related to us.

"You like _Lana_?" I half-shouted.

"Merlin Nix, could you say it any louder? Yeah, all right, I like Lana. I like Lucy's best friend. She would kill me if she knew, because what if it didn't work out? Then we'd be awkward, and Lucy wouldn't want to have her best friend over when I was going to be over, and there would be a big issue because our family is _always_ together, and she wouldn't get to have her best friend over and then she'd hate me and so would Uncle Percy and then there'd be a big rift in our family and when Lucy gets married she'd have to decide whether to have me at her wedding or Lana and how could I make her choose? And-" I cut him off at that.

"Whoa, Freddy calm down. Damn, you've really put some thought into this, haven't you? Do you like her that much?"

Fred shuffled his feet, his ears red. "Yeah."

"Well than, I'd say go for it. I mean, you think that would be bad, try dating your best friend! That's stress. I mean, do you stay friends if you break up? What happens if you have a really bad break up? Who're you supposed to talk about it? Who's your best friend now?" I asked, very dramatically.

"Whoa now, don't be getting ahead of yourself there Nix. You'd have to ask me out before we could break up. And somehow cuz, I don't think breaking up would be our biggest issue."

I laughed loudly, "Git! I didn't mean _you_ best friend, I meant _Jay_ best friend!"

"Oh, is that why I had to help him ask you to Hogsmeade? I thought that was a bit of a formal ask between friends, but hey, what do I know?"

"Fred, stop being an idiot!" I laughed, smacking him lightly on the arm.

"Oi! Don't get abusive now! Rejection is a natural experience, and what did you expect, asking out this hunk?" At that, he gestured to himself, and I was quick to shoot a hex at him. I chased the goof back to the Common Room, sending jinxes at him the whole way.

Lana Phyllis was one lucky girl, to have a great guy like my cousin after her. I couldn't wait until Fred put his fears to the side and asked her out. The two would be a lovely couple.

And really, what did he have to worry about? No one was getting married any time soon.

* * *

I ate my words the next morning, when Vic's owl flew into our midst, carrying a good two-dozen letters (there had to be an Expansion charm on that letter holder) and promptly kneeling over with exhaustion.

"Why on Earth would she send so many letters?" Dom asked, gently moving the poor bird to her lap. She worked on untying the letters while Molly fed the bird some bacon and gave it a bit of water.

"Let's see…James, Fred, here's mine, Molly, Jay, Rox here's yours, Louis, Lucy, Lana, Phoe, Hugo, Al, here you go Rosie, Scorp, Lily, Alice, Lorcan and Lysander!" She handed out a letter to each of the people she had named before tearing into hers.

"Ahhhh!" Dom screamed suddenly. The whole hall turned to stare, but Dom ignored them as she and Rose began to hop about.

"Vic and Teddy are getting married!" James yelled.

We were all grinning, and the hall erupted into applause. People began discussing whether or not they would be invited, what they would wear if they were, and whom they would go with.

Honestly, it was like it was a bloody Quidditch match that they wanted tickets to! I'd bet that half of them didn't even know Ted or Victoire; they just wanted to be able to say they went.

I noticed a few more letters lying on the table, and I rushed over to the Head table to deliver them.

McGonagall smiled widely as she received hers, as did most of the other teachers. Vic and Teddy had both been favorites. Slughorn looked as though I had given him a winning lottery ticket, though he tried to cover it up by saying he'd "have to check his calendar". As if.

I was really excited, because in my letter Vic had asked me to be a bridesmaid. Roxy and Lucy had been asked as well, and we spent a while talking about how cool it was of Victoire to ask her younger cousins.

The date of the wedding was July 8th, just a few days after Vic's mum and dad's anniversary, which I thought was sweet.

Dom threw a party that night, in honor of her sister's wedding.

I wonder if Vic knew that her little sister was using her wedding as an excuse to lure some boy into an abandoned classroom.

I doubted she did, for the look on Louis's face when his sister forgot his confession from the night before was quite heartbreaking. Victoire would die if she knew that her wedding had (indirectly) caused that.

* * *

I decided that I wasn't going to give Fred the pleasure of watching me try to figure out what Holland's problem was. Nor was I going to give him the pleasure of hearing me ask Jay about it.

Oh no. Instead, he was going to watch Jay figure it out for me.

One evening Jay and I decided to sit on the couch next to Holland. I was sitting in Jay's lap, comparing our Charms notes, when Holland spoke up.

"Hey Phoenix, do you think you could help me out with my Divination homework?"

Immediately, Jay gave him a sharp glare.

Interesting.

"I'm actually not in Divination. Bit of a useless class, don't you think? My Aunt Hermione says that only people who are looking for an easy grade take it. I prefer to challenge myself, you know?" I asked him.

"Apparently," He muttered. I had a feeling I should read further into that, but I was distracted by Jay laughing.

Another morning we decided to sit with James and Fred, who just happened to be sitting with Holland, at breakfast.

"Morning! Freddy, I know we said we didn't need to add water-proof to our…thing…for you know when, but I don't think we took morning dew into account!" I said quickly.

"Oh Merlin. Okay, well there's the water repellent spell," Fred suggested.

"No! Our…location…could be damaged!" I gasped.

"Okay, well where else could we find a spell for that?" Fred asked.

"We'll have to ask Longbottom," I said determinedly.

"Hey Phoenix, did you do something different with your hair today?" Holland asked suddenly.

I touched my hair, and found that it was up in its usual Dragon Twist.

"Erm…no, it's the same as it normally is," I told him.

"Oh. Well you smell nice. Did you get a new perfume?" He asked me.

"No. I don't wear perfume. Roxy would love it if I did though. Perhaps you're smelling James' maple syrup?" I asked.

James was smirking while Fred and James were outright laughing.

I don't think I'll ever understand boys.

* * *

The first match of the year was Slytherin against Gryffindor. Lily had pre-game nerves. I spent most of the morning trying to convince her to eat something, and it wasn't until Roxy threw some toast at me that I remembered to eat myself.

Jay's first pre-game speech went quite nicely. He simply said, "Guys, we've been working on a plan for this game for weeks. We've trained in every sort of weather, we've trained both on the ground and off it, and we've grown together as a team. This is our game. Just keep a calm head and remember everything you've learned."

"Don't worry Lils," I told me sister softly, "we've got this in the bag."

With that, Jay opened the door and stepped onto the field. Immediately, crimson shot across the grass. It quickly met up with gold, and the whole field was suddenly covered in the two colors. I knew that, as of right now, the colors were spelling out "Go Gryffindor!", which we would be able to see as soon as we took to the air, and the crowd could see from the elevated stands.

"I want a nice, clean game. No dirty tactics," Madame Hooch said. "And Miss Potter, I'm trusting that, since I'm assuming you were the one to pull this prank, my field will return to a normal, undamaged state after this game."

I merely smiled at her. She sighed before turning to the equipment chest.

"Three, two, one…" I heard Hooch yell, but I was two focused on the Quaffle to pay her any mind. I waited anxiously for the Quaffle to be tossed up, then shot towards it as fast as I could.

I caught the Quaffle, and threw it to Jay. We scored quickly, and the ground below us changed.

Instead of displaying words, the ground now showed the Gryffindor lion. I heard a distant roar, followed by an eruption of cheers from the crowd, and couldn't help but grin. We had charmed the roar so that only people in the stands heard a loud roar, that way Hooch couldn't say we were trying to distract Slytherin.

As I flew after the Quaffle, now in Slytherin's possession, I passed Lily. The grin on her face told me that the prank had worked exactly as it was supposed to.

Gryffindor spirit was high throughout the game, and we won by a remarkable margin.

* * *

A few nights later I snuck into James' room.

"James, can I borrow the you-know-what?" I whispered to my twin.

"Sure, where are you going?" He asked me.

"I need a book, but I've been told that it's in the Restricted Section. I'm going to go get it."

James grinned at me. "Awesome. Here." With that he handed me the cloak. I stuffed it into my pocket, then left before Holland could realize that I was in his bedroom.

I crossed the Common Room and sat down next to Jay.

"I'm going to go get that book," I told him softly.

He shut the book he had been reading and turned to face me. "Love, it's long after curfew. Just ask Flitwick for a pass to go get it tomorrow. You know he won't hesitate to give it to you."

"I know, but the essay is due tomorrow! I don't want him to think that I left it for last minute. I mean, how is he supposed to know that I decided to elaborate further on using charms defensively after I went over my paper and found that segment lacking?"

"He'll know because you'll tell him. You know he'll believe you."

"I know, but at the same time I'm afraid he won't. I just don't want to disappoint him. I'm a 4th year taking an OWL class. I don't want him to think I'm not taking it seriously."

Jay kissed me on the forehead.

"Love, anyone who knows you knows that you're taking this seriously. Go, get your book, then come back and sit with me."

"Thank you. I'll be back soon," I assured him.

"Okay. Be careful; don't get caught!" He called after me.

"I won't," I told him before slipping out of the Common Room.

I threw the cloak over myself, suddenly grateful for my short stature. When Fred and I crammed under the cloak while off doing various pranks, Fred had to crouch over, to where he was virtually doubled over, with me crushed beneath him. It wasn't pleasant. But on my own, I could simply walk along with no fear of being seen.

I pulled out the map, which had been mine for the week, and checked it. I noticed Filch wandering about on the second floor, and Peeves on the sixth. I also noticed that Julie Vane was creeping back towards the Ravenclaw Common Room, while a male Hufflepuff was only just reaching his.

" _Disgusting_." I thought. I wondered how that girl had ever gotten into Ravenclaw.

I crept towards the library, trying to keep to the shadows, when suddenly I noticed a bright light coming from outside the window.

I crept towards the window, then stopped and stared with a feeling of dread growing in my gut.

Outside the window, at a distance, I could see Hogwarts' gate.

It was lying on the grass, a mangled mess of iron.

Behind it, dark figures slowly crept inside the grounds.

I ripped the map out of my pocket and hurriedly assured it that I was up to no good.

For a moment I could see red circles on the edge of the map, then the whole image flickered, before disappearing.

Words flashed across the piece of parchment reading; _Messrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs would like to apologize for any disruption to your mischief, but the map is unavailable at this time. There has been an error._

I stared at the map in horror, then ripped off the cloak, shoving it into my pocket so it wouldn't be in my way, and ran.

I flew towards McGonagall's office, desperate to tell her before the invasion began.

Hogwarts was under attack.

* * *

 **I looked it up, and from what I found, "Hilaritate" is Latin for cheerfulness, so I figured that would be a good incantation for the Cheering charm, as there isn't one confirmed. I loved writing giggly Phoenix and Nikki.**

 **I decided that having Lily Luna and Alice being bullied was quite believable. Hogwarts is not perfect, there are plenty of mean kids as well as kind ones, and, as I believe that no House is completely good or evil, there will be a mixture of each in all Houses. This includes Gryffindor, and Lily and Alice would be the perfect targets for a bully. Both are pretty, popular, studious, kind, and come from well-known families, but they are also too shy to speak out, and sensitive enough to pick on.**

 **Also, Phoenix is utterly clueless when it comes to boys. She had to be flat-out told that a Love potion perceived her as a threat before she figured out that Jay liked her, so naturally she is completely oblivious to Max Holland's attempts to hit on her.**

 **And so, there is my first attempt at a cliffhanger. Sorry!**

 **As always, thank you for reading, reviewing, favoriting, and following!**


	12. Attacked By Masked Marble

**Author's Note: This chapter will either be in Phoenix's POV as usual, or it will be third person limited. I will specify who the POV is limited to so there is no confusion. The chapter will be like this so that you can see what's happening all over the castle. The events will go mainly in chronological order, unless I've noted otherwise. And, just for clarification, if I note that something happens "simultaneously", I mean that it's simultaneous with the event before it.**

 **Fair warning to all, this chapter isn't** _ **dark**_ **per say, or at least, I wouldn't classify it as dark, but it is darker than the rest of the story has been.**

 **I do not own Harry Potter, though it saddens me to admit. If I did Phoenix Annette Potter wouldn't be an OC, nor would Jay Alexander Wood.**

* * *

 **Attacked By Masked Marble**

* * *

After the Final Battle, many students, past and present, and many teachers had worked tirelessly to repair Hogwarts. Minerva McGonagall had been named Headmistress, so no one questioned when she assisted in the repairs. No one had suspected that McGonagall had done anything more than repair the school, for, as far as anyone knew; no one had added anything to Hogwarts since it had been built.

In all fairness, it probably should have been expected that the Headmistress would add safe-rooms for the students, but the Wizarding World, so newly at peace, didn't even consider the thought. The country, having just entered its "Golden Age", didn't consider anything that had to do with war, for the Wizarding population refused to so much as consider the possibility of another war.

Even Professor McGonagall had hoped to never have to use the safe-rooms, for them to remain a secret, passed down between Headmasters and mistresses and the Heads of Houses. Though, she knew all too well that they would be used at some point in Hogwarts's future.

She had just prayed it wouldn't be while she was Headmistress.

* * *

 **Third Person Point of View (Neville Longbottom):**

* * *

Neville had just exited the castle for a midnight stroll when he saw the figures entering Hogwarts.

He had turned immediately and run back inside, sending Patronuses to the teachers of Hogwarts as he went.

He collided with Leanne Bernet, the Defense teacher and Head of Hufflepuff, in the hallway. They were quick to pick themselves up, Neville throwing her her wand, which had been knocked out of her hand in their collision, as he stood. Neither offered an apology as they resumed their sprints towards their respective students.

Neither wanted to be the professor who got there too late.

* * *

 **Third Person Point of View (Jay Wood):**

 **~Simultaneously~**

* * *

Jay sat on the couch, waiting for his girlfriend to return. He was beginning to wish he had gone with her. She had been complaining of a "bad feeling" all day, which Jay hadn't thought much of until Fred explained her "bad feelings" to him.

Suddenly, Phoenix's Kneazle sprinted down the stairs, heading for the Common Room exit.

Jay leapt up, grabbing the little creature before it could get very far, and holding it to him.

"What's wrong with Circe?" Dom asked. Jay jumped, for he had forgotten she was still sitting in front of the fire.

"I don't know. Circe, calm down," Jay attempted to sooth her, but she continued to thrash about, struggling to escape his arms.

"That's odd. Normally she seems to quite like you…Jay, you don't think Annette's in trouble do you? Kneazles are supposed to be able to sense these things, and want to protect their owner," Dominique asked softly, a look of concern on her face.

"Maybe we should let her down, and follow her? See where she goes?" Jay asked her.

"Yeah, lets do that," Dom quickly set aside her homework, "If Annie's in trouble it's going to take more than a kitten to help her."

Jay turned, bending over to let the kitten down, when Professor Longbottom suddenly burst into the Common Room, panting.

"Dominique, please run up the girl's stairs and get all of the girls to come down here immediately. Tell them if they aren't down here in 5 minutes they will have detention with the Headmistress for the next month, and I will personally be taking 50 points off of Gryffindor. Mister Wood, please do the same with the younger boys, I'll handle the older boys. And don't let that cat run off, she'll be safer with you," With that Professor Longbottom turned and ran up the stairs to the boys' dorms. Dominique and Jay exchanged wide-eyed glances before turning and running up their respective staircases.

A short while later Jay stood on the edges of the Common Room, holding a Kneazle and trying to fight his way towards the exit. He was now certain that his girlfriend was in trouble, and he was determined to help her.

"Everyone freeze!" Professor Longbottom shouted, standing on a table in the center of the Common Room. Everyone quieted immediately, and Jay knew he was going to have a hard time escaping now.

"We are going into lock down. Hogwarts is in danger. Hush! I am going to activate a safe-room, and everyone is going to enter it. Only 7th years will have the option of not entering, and I will discuss that with them when I get to 7th years. I have a list of every Gryffindor, so when I call your name I would like you to enter the room, and head straight towards the back. Anyone who tries to leave the room after they have entered, or does not enter when their name is called will be severely punished. _Is that clear_? We will start with the first years, and I expect the _only_ movement to be the student I call walking up here and the rest of you moving out of their way. Do not talk. Riley Fores you're first. Quickly now," With that he grabbed the bewildered first year, and turned back to face the fireplace. "Oh. Sorry."

Longbottom grabbed the stone above the fireplace, whispering a few words into it, then preformed a spell silently. Immediately the fire died, the wall above the fireplace melted away, and a staircase fell to the floor.

Jay could only watch as the first, second and third years were ushered into the room. Then Conner Guin, Max Holland, and James Potter, who was all but thrown into the room as he yelled something about his twin, entered.

Finally Professor Longbottom called for Phoenix Potter.

Jay hoped against hope that she would shove her way through the crowd, protesting the need to be locked up and declaring they should be allowed to fight, but there was no movement. Jay looked around desperately for her long red curls, hoping that perhaps she was just too short for him to see over the crowd, but he still didn't see her.

"Phoenix Potter?" Professor Longbottom tried again.

"Professor!" James shouted, sticking his head back into the Common Room. "I've been trying to tell you. My sister snuck out, she needed a book!"

Silence met his words. It was a thick, horrified silence.

"Sh-she did what?" Longbottom stuttered. Then he grew quite angry. "Great, just great, my bloody goddaughter is…great. Okay, you get back in there; I'll take care of this as soon as we're done. Lana Phyllis!"

Lana all but ran to the front, and he noticed that people were now shifting around in the crowd. Seeing his chance, Jay rushed towards the exit, only to be grabbed by an older student.

"Hey aren't you a fifth year?" The boy asked.

"Yeah," Jay said, trying to get away.

"Oh shite, you're the bird's boyfriend right? Look, everyone's shifting around according to grade, head up there so that Longbottom can finish faster and help your girl out." The boy told him, pushing him towards the safe-room.

"No! I need to go find her," Jay protested.

"Look mate, that's really brave, but Longbottom will be able to help her a lot more than you will, so the longer you put off going in that room, the longer she has to wait for him to find her. Tell you what, she's the red-head right?" Jay nodded. "Longbottom's probably going to let us 7th years help out. I'll keep an eye out for her if he does, okay?"

Jay hesitated.

"Jay Wood," Longbottom called.

"That's you, right? Go, I swear to you I'll try to find her. I'll head towards the library as soon as we get going. She'll be alright mate," The 7th year said, shoving Jay towards the front.

Feeling like the worst kind of coward, Jay walked towards Professor Longbottom.

"Jay, she was headed towards the library, right?" Longbottom asked him as he approached. Jay nodded. "Okay, I'll head that way first. I'll find her Jay."

Jay held up Circe suddenly. The poor kitten had long since stopped struggling, instead falling so still Jay had forgotten her. Once she was shifted, however, she began to squirm around again.

"This is her Kneazle, can she be of any help?" Jay asked.

"Jay, she could find Phoenix, but she could also get hurt. You decide what to do," Longbottom told him.

Jay felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. He knew what Phoenix would say if she knew he had sent her baby on what could possibly be a suicide mission.

"Please find her Professor," Jay whispered, before turning to enter the safe-room, feeling as though he had failed his girlfriend just by walking away.

* * *

 **Phoenix's Point of View:**

* * *

I sprinted through the hallways, finally reaching the Headmistress' office.

It was then that I realized that I didn't have the password.

"Erm…Hope? Peace? Hogwarts, um Triwizard, McGonagall, Dumbledore, come on you stupid statue Hogwarts is in trouble! Let's see Dad said Dumbledore used candy, Bertie Botts? Acid Pops? Honeyduke's chocolate, Fizzing Wizbees, Lemon Drops, Candy Cane, oh bloody hell so it's not candy then? Erm, the Order of the Phoenix? I open at the close? The Marauders, the Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes, hell, constant vigilance?"

The statue jumped aside.

I was a bit surprised that I had actually guessed the password, but I shook it off as I sprinted up the stairs.

"Professor! Hogwarts is in trouble! Profe-" I glanced around at the empty room.

"She has already left child. Should you not be in bed? What on Earth would a young lady such as yourself be doing out at this hour?" The portrait of a Headmistress spoke from the wall behind me.

I turned to face her.

"I snuck out, miss. I needed a book, because I wanted to add to an essay I had been reviewing, and it's due in the morning," I ducked my head, trying not to fidget and be rude. I needed to go, but the last thing I wanted to do was insult the former Headmistress, even if she was only a painting.

"Oh, a studious sort then. But also brave, to have run to find your Headmistress, rather than to safety. I can see you are eager to leave, do not let me keep you waiting. But be wary Miss…"

"Potter. Phoenix Annette Potter, Madame."

"Ah. Miss Potter. Yes, do be wary child."

I dipped a curtsy, sensing that this woman would be the sort to appreciate that sort of thing (so I suppose Aunt Fleur was right, she had said knowing how to curtsy would come in handy one day. I had thought she was silly, and only let her teach me because I loved her dearly), then ran from the room.

I sprinted down the hallways, never having been more grateful that I ran on my own than I was at that moment. Suddenly, I saw a figure at the top of the staircase I had been about to run up. I froze, trying not to make any noise, but found that the figure was already facing me.

The mask on his face wasn't like the ones my father had described the Death Eaters wearing. It was ancient, and remarkably similar to ancient Egyptian masks, the ones that resembled Anubis. I shuddered, remembering what my Uncle Bill had told me about Anubis, guardian and protector of the dead. I ducked around a corner, trying to calm the frantic beating of my heart. Finally, I caught my breath and _ran_ , faster than I had ever run in my life.

I now knew that finding McGonagall was no longer an option. One look at the figure at the top of the staircase and I could sense the raw power it held. I immediately began considering where the best place to hide would be. I needed somewhere easily defensible. I knew the Room of Requirement was my best shot, but it was four stories above me still, and the fastest way to get there was the staircase I was now running away from.

" _Think Phoenix_!" I thought to myself.

I was suddenly struck with inspiration.

The library, my original destination, was on the 3rd floor, which is where I was currently located, as the 3rd floor also housed the entrance to the Headmistress' tower. There were plenty of places to hide in the library, and if I was really in a pinch I could always knock over the bookshelves and escape, though I would have to make it up to the librarian later.

Plus, if my too-noble-for-their-own-good family or boyfriend came looking for me, that would be where they would head.

I turned the next corner, relieved to have a plan. The library was still all the way across the school, but it was much closer than any other safe place.

It never crossed my mind to hide in the Headmistress' office.

* * *

 **Third Person Point of View (Minerva McGonagall):**

* * *

When Minerva McGonagall had received the Patronus from Neville Longbottom, she had rolled out of bed and into her slippers without a moment's hesitation. She was a seasoned fighter, both from the first year and the second, as well as the war against Grindelwald. She had only been ten years old when the evil man was defeated, but she had still been raised in a wary world, most particularly those first ten years, but many years after that as well.

Minerva sighed as she ran from her tower. The world had been much slower to loose the caution and wariness that came from war back then. Back when she was a girl, people had understood that a war could happen at any time, and that a community only just recovering from war would be the most unprepared for another attack.

Minerva ducked behind a tapestry, trying to reach the Great Hall, which was the place she had designated as the emergency meeting point for teachers.

She exited the secret passage and came face to face with a masked figure. She let out a gasp, ducking and rolling (which she immediately regretted, she was much too old for that sort of thing; how Dumbledore had managed to do it into his early 110's she would never understand) to avoid a spell. She was a bit fearful of the being in front of her, which she found shocking, as she had faced down with Voldemort in the past.

She fired a slicing hex at the creature, and was stunned to see it take no effect, though it clearly hit him directly in his chest. She decided that the figure had to be wearing some sort of armor, and began trying to figure out how to remove its mask.

She dodged another spell, not willing to see if a Shield charm would hold up to the being's powerful attack until she had to.

" _Confringo_!" Minerva yelled. The being let out a low chuckle, which chilled Minerva to the bone, as the spell missed it by quite a bit. The chuckle turned into an angry roar as the wall beside it exploded, and Minerva stumbled back as the mask was thrown from the being's face.

Its face was horrifying, to say the least. And not because of the symbols scrawled across its bald head, which seemed to whisper and cause the world to spin around Minerva if she looked too closely at them. Not because of the being's sunken cheeks, or waxy skin. It wasn't even the creature's glowing eyes, which felt as though they were burning her very soul, that caused Minerva to let out a shocked and fearful cry. No, it was the fact that the face she was staring into had once belonged to Theodore Nott Sr.

Minerva staggered back, trying to regain her wits, while the _thing_ before her followed angrily.

" _C-Confringo_ ," She managed to stutter out. The spell hit the being directly in the face, but it didn't flinch.

" _Diffindo_!" Her Severing charm gave the same result.

" _Confringo_!" She yelled again, this time aiming at the ceiling. Unfortunately, the being now anticipated this, and with a wave of its hand the ceiling didn't so much as shudder.

Minerva was now terrified, both for herself and the rest of the castle's inhabitants. However, she was never one to accept defeat, so she continued to send a barrage of hex, curses and spells at the creature and its surroundings, hoping to catch it off guard, or find a spell that could affect it.

She had no luck. It was as though the creature was made of marble.

Then, the creature _spoke_ , and Minerva knew the voice that rose out of its body and the words it formed would haunt her for the rest of her life.

" _You have put up a great fight. You have spirit, but also great power, and skill. You will serve my master quite nicely_ ," The creature said, in an eerie, almost garbled voice. She shuddered, and tried to back away, but found that she couldn't move her legs.

Minerva had always thought herself virtually fearless. Her Boggart took the form of her failing to protect her students, and there were few other things she feared.

Tonight, however, she discovered that it was possible to gain new fears, and her Gryffindor pride was severely wounded as she stood before the being, shivering in terror.

" _Phobos_." The creature hissed, and Minerva fell to her knees.

" _Dunamis_."

Minerva began to shake, holding her stomach as her body curled up on itself.

" _Thanatos_."

Minerva's screams echoed through the castle.

* * *

 **Third Person Point of View (Luna Scamander):**

 **~Simultaneously~**

* * *

Luna Scamander was never one to loose her head in a battle. The moment she got Neville's Patronus she got up, grabbed a small crate, and began filling it with medical supplies.

Luna knew that many thought she was simple, or perhaps a bit crazy, and that suited her just fine.

While she did believe in strange creatures, she did not believe in the same creatures her father had. She had given the appearance of agreeing with her father's way of thinking and speaking simply because she didn't wish for people to know what truly went on in her head.

Luna had spent her first years out of Hogwarts travelling around ancient civilizations and ruins. She longed to know more about the past, and how the world had been before having magic became about having power.

Back when magical people had used their abilities to their full extent; mind, soul, heart, and core.

She had discovered many things along the way, all of which took her back to ancient Egypt. It was there that she met a man who was studying the same things as her and, sensing the good in him, she worked with him for a while.

And Luna fell in love.

She married the man shortly after, and he pretended to love her for her airy ways, all the while loving her instead for the brain she hid from all others.

She had stopped her work when she became pregnant, instead deciding to become a nurse at her children's school, so that she could watch over them, and perhaps figure out a way to influence the way children learned to wield their magic.

She received the job easily, for she suspected Minerva McGonagall had seen through her 'Loony' façade for quite some time.

It was there, working as a nurse at Hogwarts, that she met Phoenix Potter. She had heard many things about the girl, but the moment the girl entered the Hospital Wing, half dragged in by her twin brother, with her hand dripping blood from a hex gone wrong, she knew that the girl was special.

She had a sort of Slytherin cunning to her that surprised Luna. Her parents had never shown signs of such a thing, nor had the rest of her family, with perhaps the exception of the mischievous twins, though they would have hexed Luna to hell and back for even suggesting they possessed Slytherin qualities. Luna saw it in the way the girl removed the pain potion from its glass when she thought Luna's back was turned, evaporating the potion rather than dumping it in the plant next to her bed, as most patients did (which is precisely why Luna had put one next to each bedside; the plants would whither if they received any liquid save water), but leaving enough of the potion to make it look as though she really drank it, rather than completely drying the glass, as most of the older students did. She also saw it in the way that the girl carried out her pranks, getting supplies that she needed or access to certain places through bribery, flattery and pure sneakiness.

She also saw bravery in the girl. It showed in the way that the girl took a Bludger for a younger student without a second thought, or stood up for what she believed in, no matter who disagreed. The girl would tell anyone when she thought they were wrong, but she also wasn't afraid to admit it when she made a mistake.

Phoenix Potter was also intelligent. Her intelligence showed in everything she did. All of the teachers commented on it, simply because it was so obvious.

As she watched the girl grow, Luna noticed many other intriguing qualities that the girl possessed. While deeply intelligent, the girl could be very oblivious to something that was obvious to everyone else. The girl was also extremely loyal, almost to a fault. She was also hotheaded, kind, funny, and a bit silly. Luna occasionally found herself wishing her boys had been two years older, simply so that they may have gotten to know her better, though she was pleased that they were very good friends with Lily, Phoenix's younger sister and Luna's goddaughter.

Luna thought of these things as she rushed about, gathering various potions and pastes. When she finally deemed her supplies acceptable, she waltzed out of the Hospital Wing, walking at the fastest speed that she could without outright running. She was a very noisy runner.

Luna was almost to the Great Hall, having only just reached the Memorial Staircase, when she came across a figure. The being simply stared at her, so Luna took a moment to set her supplies carefully down in an alcove before pulling out her wand.

The creature looked from her, to the alcove where she had hidden her supplies, then back to her again.

"I'm a healer. Those supplies tend to get a bit pricey, you know? I have more of course, but it's a rather long walk, and those are really much to expensive to waste," Luna said airily.

The creature let out a low chuckle, and Luna struggled to keep from turning and running.

" _Expulso_ ," Luna said calmly, though it was difficult. The spell struck the figure in front of her, and it came as no surprise to her when it had no effect.

"Hmm, just as I thought, though I suppose I'd best be sure… _Glisseo_!"

The staircase beneath the figure turned into a slide, and the creature let out a terrifying roar as it slid down to the ground below.

Luna walked quickly down the steps after they changed back, trying to hide the trembling in her knees. She looked into the face of what was once a man known as Avery.

"Just as I thought. I would suggest that you make your masks more secure, but I w-would assume you enjoy the fear you see when they come off," Luna said, hating her voice for cracking and betraying her fear.

The figure laughed again, and Luna fought off a shudder.

" _Aren't you going to fight me now_?" It asked.

"I would, and I would put up one hell of a fight, but I know that it would have no effect on you."

" _Oh? And how would you know that, strange little human_?" The creature asked.

"There's only one spell that can harm a _Ker_ ," Luna said softly. She knew the being in front of her was built like marble, and virtually indestructible.

The creatures glowing eyes widened, then it took a step closer to Luna.

" _You know too much, strange one, to not serve my master_."

Luna took a small step back.

" _Phobos_."

Luna hated herself for falling to her knees when she was expecting to be cursed.

" _Dunamis_."

Luna's muscles seemed to move by themselves as she curled in on herself.

" _Thanatos_."

Luna had suffered through Bellatrix Lestrange's Cruciatus curse in silence, but she couldn't contain her scream as the final curse hit her.

* * *

 **Phoenix's Point of View:**

* * *

I stared at the figure standing in front of me.

I had been two corridors away from the library when I had been cut off.

I determined that my only options were to fight or flee, and I had already fled once.

After dodging a spell that left the suit of armor behind me a burnt mess, I decided that a hard, quick onslaught of spells was my best bet. Perhaps I could trick the creature into walking close enough to the window that I could knock it out?

" _Baubillious_!" The bolt of white lightning had no effect on the creature. " _Bombarda_! _Engorgio_! _Colloshoo_! _Confundo_! _Flipendo Duo_! _Confringo_!" The last spell I cast at the window, seeing that my other curses were having no effect. I dodged another spell, before turning my wand on the creature yet again. " _Aqua Eructo_!" The jet of water that shot out of my wand startled the creature, and it knocked it back towards the window. " _Confringo_!" I shouted again, this time aiming at a suit of armor, and the armor shot backwards into the still-stunned being, knocking it out the window.

I rushed over to the window, and watched in shock and horror as the figure below stood up, glaring up at me with fiery eyes. I could just make out its mask in the dark, lying on the ground beside it. I was far above the being, but its face still sent me reeling back.

Where I bumped into another creature.

" _Impressive little human_ ," It hissed.

"Um, thanks, I, uh, I was just going, so I'll be going now, see you later," I stuttered, trying to edge around it.

" _Nice try little one. There is a great fire that burns within you. You will serve my master well. But be wary, little one, for those with the greatest fires are those who get burned the worst_. _I do hope you survive._ "

I knew that I should be running. I knew that I should try to push around the thing, or hex it, or even jump out the bloody window behind me. I knew that I should do anything but wait for it to attack me, but my feet were frozen to the floor like someone had hit me with _Colloshoo_.

" _Phobos._ "

My knees gave out, and I wished I had run.

" _Dunamis_."

I curled in on myself.

" _Thanatos_."

I couldn't help but scream.

I had always pictured the Cruciatus the worst possible pain, the way that everyone described it. I pictured it the far end of the pain spectrum, something a nurse would ask you; on a scale of 0 to Cruciatus how badly are you hurt?

But this, this was an entirely different spectrum all together.

I was no longer in Hogwarts. I was no longer in my era. I was in a thousand different eras, watching a thousand of these creatures kill a thousand different people.

And I felt every death.

My head was being split open, my neck was breaking, I was suffocating, I was drying a painful death, I was just simply dying, in every way possible.

But I _wasn't dead_.

I was simply in agony. I didn't think that the images of so many people being killed would ever leave my head. I was in such pain; I didn't even notice that I was slipping into unconsciousness.

Everything simply went black.

* * *

 **Third Person Point of View (Julie Vane):**

* * *

Julie Vane wandered through the halls late at night, muttering to herself.

"That bloody Phoenix Potter. Little miss perfect. She gets the guy, the amazing and supportive family with the built in best friend, amazing Quidditch skills, a gift at Charms; she even takes _extra classes_ for Merlin's sake! And now, thanks to her, I'm stuck wandering about after hours with a _Hufflepuff_! And all of my friends hate me because of poor little Phoenix Potter. I hate her…" She continued to mutter to herself, not caring if she was caught. She was always in trouble anyways.

Julie didn't even know the attack was happening until she ran into one of the _Ker_.

She immediately stumbled backwards, staring at the strange creature in front of her.

"W-who are you? What are you?" She choked out.

" _I am the Ker, ancient power on this planet. You mortals call us the Death Bringers, the agents of the Egyptian power Anubis."_

For a moment, Julie forgot just who she was talking to, "Death Bringer?" She snorted. "Do you take requests?"

And then the thing laughed, a sound so terrifying Julie tripped in her haste to back away from the being. To her horror, the _Ker_ began to take off its mask.

Julie couldn't look away from the creature's eyes. She felt as though she would pass out at any moment, and the whispers she heard in her head left her dizzy and shaking. She heard an ancient language, one she did not speak, but one that she found she could understand. She heard whispers of death, and many other frightening and terrible things.

Finally, just as Julie was certain she would pass out, the _Ker_ shifted its eyes, and Julie dropped her gaze to the floor, leaning sideways against a wall.

" _There is great hatred in you. Such hatred is powerful. You could be of great use to my master_."

Suddenly the _Ker_ shifted its gaze, its burning eyes seeming to fall on something Julie could not see.

" _My master summons us. Be wary, and do not loose your hatred. It is what wills you to continue. We will be watching you_."

The being gave her one last glance, then walked away. Julie let out a shuddery breath, sliding down the wall to rest on the floor.

She was no fool. She knew that she had been lucky to escape with her life, but she also knew that the _Ker_ "watching her" was not a good thing. Julie had never been so scared in her entire life.

But, she thought suddenly, the creature had seemed to see straight into her soul. If it knew of her hatred, perhaps it also knew of whom her hatred was for.

As Julie heard footsteps, loud, clumsy, human footsteps, approaching her, she realized that perhaps the _Ker_ could be her secret to finally getting revenge on Phoenix Potter.

And Julie, intelligent girl that she was, turned so that she was hidden slightly behind a tapestry, and started to cry. Professor Longbottom found her that way, and, though he disliked the girl for what she had done to Phoenix, he also felt pity that she had been out and about during the attack. Plus, no matter what his personal feelings were, he would never hold them against one of his students. He carefully helped Julie up, leading her towards the Great Hall as she assured him that, no she had not been hurt by the creatures, and no, she hadn't been seen by one. She had simply watched them from the shadows, and been too scared to move after they had left.

Julie was starting to realize why the Sorting Hat had told her she would be well suited for Slytherin.

* * *

 **Phoenix's Point of View:**

 **~Simultaneously~**

* * *

"Potter? Phoenix Potter? Gods, please don't be dead, I told your boyfriend I wouldn't let you die. Wait no, your breathing. Thank Merlin. Now wake up. Come on, wake up Phoenix!" An unfamiliar voice shouted, their hands shaking me gently.

Merlin. I tried to shove the owner of the voice's hands off of me, but I couldn't get my arms to move.

I opened my mouth, trying to talk, but all that came out was a groan.

"Phoenix?"

I cracked open one eye, then the other.

"Who decided to let teach trolls how to tap dance on my brain?" I asked blearily, pressing a hand to my pounding head. "I'll bet it was Fred, yeah?"

A boy, the owner of the voice, stared at me for a moment before saying, "What? Did you hit your head?"

"Bloody well feels like I did. Why?" I asked him.

"Erm…it's just bruised. Yeah. Just bruised. I think Madame Scamander is in the Great Hall, let's go see her," The boy rambled as he helped me to my feet. "Now, can you walk? I can help you if not, but-"

I cut him off quickly.

"I'm fine. Thank you."

With that I moved out of his arms, swaying a bit but managing to keep my balance.

We walked down the corridors warily, the boy keeping one hand pressed against the small of my back, to keep me steady I guess. At one point we passed an old mirror, and I paused for a moment to stare at my reflection in horror. It was as though I had never been outside in my life. I was fairly certain vampires weren't as pale as I was. The boy gently nudged me on.

We were nearing the Great Hall when we came across one of the masked creatures. The boy and I tensed, waiting for it to attack, but it simply walked past us.

"That was odd," The boy observed. I nodded.

Suddenly more of the creatures walked past us. We shifted until we were back to back, waiting to be attacked from all sides, but the beings didn't even look our way.

The boy and I followed them, watching as they walked out of the front doors of Hogwarts, and back down the lawn. They walked until they reached the gates, then they simply disappeared.

I turned to face the boy.

"So, I suppose you already know this, but I'm Phoenix Potter," I said, offering him my hand and wincing at how pale it looked.

"Ari Chang," The boy said. "We should get inside the Great Hall. That's where everyone is meeting up. We'll be safe there, if they come back."

I nodded, and we quickly entered the hall.

"Miss Potter!" I was stunned when Professor McGonagall rushed across the hall, grabbing me by my hands. She was shockingly pale, and I couldn't help but wonder what she had gone through tonight. "Are you alright? What on Earth were you doing out after hours?"

"I'm fine Professor. And I…erm, I needed a book from the library. I was editing a paper that's due tomorrow and decided to add to it," I reached back to awkwardly rub the back of my neck, trying not to wince as the movement sent shooting pain up my chest. She gave me a look of disbelief, her eyes narrowing slightly.

"Well I'm just glad you're alright. And you as well Mr. Chang. It was very brave of you to go find her," McGonagall told Chang.

"Thank you. And, actually, Phoenix was unconscious when I found her. I'm not sure how stable she is," He told her.

Crap.

"I'm fine Professor," I told her. Her eyes narrowed further. I wasn't sure why, but I was very unwilling to tell anyone what happened during the attack.

"We'll see about that. Madame Scamander is right over here, you can-"

She was cut off as the doors to the Great Hall were thrown open. Instantly, every wand in the hall was drawn.

A young man ran into the Great Hall, his wand clutched as his side as his eyes flickered around. He was a few inches over 6 feet, and he stood the same way my Dad and Uncle Ron did, in a way that spoke of Auror training. He had dirty blonde hair that fell into his silvery grey eyes. His face was pale, and he looked slightly terrified. I was the only person to lower my wand when he entered the room.

I threw McGonagall's arms off of me, ignoring the pain in my limbs as I sprinted across the hall, focused only on the man. I noticed other people entering behind him; familiar faces to the rest of the hall. Aurors.

"Teddy!" I cried, throwing my arms around him.

"Phoenix!" He yelled back. He looked scared, and I realized that, if he was this worried, he couldn't have known more than the bare minimum: Hogwarts had been attacked. He had clearly been worried, so worried that his glamor had faded away, leaving him with his natural look. I had only seen it once, but I would know his eyes anywhere.

"Are you hurt? Are any of the others hurt? Why are you so pale? What happened?" Teddy rambled, pushing me back to arms length so that he could look me over.

I tried not to wince. I was actually in quite a bit of pain, and running across the Great Hall hadn't been smart.

"I'm fine Ted," I tried to reassure him. Of course, he was my older brother, and he had known me for far too long to not know when I was hurt.

"You're lying. What happened?"

I decided to lie again. "I was fighting one, and it threw me back against the wall. But don't worry, I pitched it out a window."

Apparently, the truthfulness about throwing one out the window was enough for Teddy, for he nodded in acceptance of my tale before asking, "One of what? What attacked the castle Phoe?"

"I…I d-don't know," I said, embarrassed when my eyes started to fill with tears and my voice cracked. I refused to cry in front of anyone, let alone the entire hall.

Teddy pulled me into a tight hug. I ignored the pain his grip caused and just allowed myself to be comforted by my older brother.

Suddenly, two very loud men entered the hall, yelling over each other in their haste to speak.

"What happened?"

"Out on a mission…"

"…anyone hurt?"

"…just got the memo…"

"…came as fast as we could…"

"What happened?"

I stepped back from Teddy's embrace to stare at my Dad and Uncle Ron with a mixture of amusement and relief.

"Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, so nice of you to join us," McGonagall said, and I smothered a snort, exchanging amused glances with Teddy as our father and Uncle flinched. "To answer your questions, we were attacked. The creatures were masked, so we do not know what they were. No one saw what was underneath the masks. And, since you felt the need to ask 'what happened' again Mr. Weasley, we were attacked."

" _She's lying. She knows that someone saw beneath the masks_ ," I thought. I wasn't sure how I knew, but I did.

"Was anyone hurt?" My Dad asked.

"Not that we know of, yet." She said, and, again, I could tell she was lying.

That was when my Uncle Ron caught sight of me. Probably because my hair was blood red, and I was standing ten feet in front of him, but I had been hoping I was hidden behind Teddy.

He began tugging on Dad's sleeve, which made me giggle a bit, especially when Dad brushed him off to keep talking to McGonagall. The scene reminded me of the stories they would tell us before bed, particularly the story of finding Fluffy.

Unfortunately, my Dad could only ignore Uncle Ron for so long before acknowledging him.

" _What_ Ron?" My Dad asked. In answer, my Uncle pointed to me.

For a moment, my father actually looked floored. His mouth hung open, and he simply stared at me.

I was in _so_ much trouble.

"Phoenix Annette Potter."

He didn't even sound angry, just surprised.

Then my Dad crossed the distance between us, and I was suddenly unsure of what to expect.

He yanked me into a hug, one twice as tight as Teddy's had been. I could barely contain a gasp of pain, but I was too relieved that I wasn't in trouble to complain.

"You could have been hurt!" My Dad told me.

"I'm sorry. But I'm fine! Really Dad," I gently removed myself from his arms, smiling at him reassuringly. Dad smiled at me before turning back to McGonagall.

Teddy narrowed his eyes at me behind Dad's back.

I leant close to him and whispered into his ear, "Tell him, and I'll send the pictures of you and Vic "studying for her OWLs" during your 6th year to Uncle Bill."

He whispered back, "We're engaged Phoenix, it won't matter."

I arched an eyebrow at him before whispering, "If you're willing to take that risk, fine by me. There's a few _really excellent_ ones in there. I'm sure Aunt Fleur will be putting them in a scrapbook. Little Vic, only 15 years old…"

"Alright, I won't tell, just don't send those damn pictures!" Teddy whispered heatedly. I smirked at him.

"Miss Potter," Professor McGonagall was standing before me, looking rather amused. I felt my face growing red, and saw Teddy's hair following suit. "I would like to take you over to Madame Scamander." She looked at me, and I knew the next sentence was going to be a lie. "Just so that we can make sure you're in perfect health."

I nodded, and was surprised when she reached down, taking my hand and leading me over to Madame Scamander like a child.

"Hello Phoenix," Madame Scamander said dreamily. She too was extremely pale. She lightly ran a hand over my arms, head and shoulders, saying something about Wrackspurts all the while. I could hear my Uncle laughing behind us, and my Dad telling him not to poke fun at her. Finally, she stepped back, looking me in the eye and saying, "You seem to be alright. Though, I'd say that a bit of Dreamless Sleep potion and a good nights rest wouldn't be amiss." She turned to dig around in a crate, then looked back at me with an apologetic expression. "I'm sorry Phoenix, I seem to have forgotten to grab some in my haste. I'll walk you up to the Hospital wing as soon as I check everyone over, okay?"

Lies. Her entire diagnosis had been riddled with lies.

"Okay, I'll just wait then," I told her. Each person in the hall was interviewed about what happened, then the Aurors went to look at the rest of the castle while the Heads of Houses went to each of the Common Rooms to get the students. Apparently McGonagall and the Aurors wanted to speak with them about rules and safety. When Madame Scamander had finished looking everyone over she came to sit next to me. She explained about the safe-rooms in each Common Room, though I don't know how she knew about them, seeing as she mentioned they were supposed to be a secret, and no one had mentioned it until she brought it up.

I apparently had to wait until the Aurors and Professor McGonagall came back before I could have my Dreamless Sleep potion…if Madame Scamander was actually going to give me one.

I ached all over. I felt as though I had just fallen off of my broomstick, before trying to tango with a werewolf. I could tell Madame Scamander knew too, for she eventually stopped talking. Instead she began to hum a little tune. Any other time I would have been embarrassed, but I was so out of it that I set my head down in her lap and fell asleep.

I was woken a short while later by several voices shouting, "Phoenix!"

My eyes snapped open, and I was surprised when the first person to grab me in a hug was Dom. She was crying, tears streaming down her pretty face, and I couldn't help but stare. Like me, Dom wasn't much of a crier.

Freddy was next to hug me, followed Roxy, Al, Lily, James, and the rest of the family until finally the only person who hadn't hugged me was Jay.

He stared at me, an unrecognizable look in his eyes, before grabbing me into a tight hug.

"You-" He was cut off by a loud meow. I glanced down to see my Kneazle clutched in his arms.

"Jay, you kept her safe! Thank you, thank you so much!" I kissed him on the cheek.

"You're welcome," Jay muttered, not looking at me. I gazed at him curiously, but Professor McGonagall called for silence before I could ask him what was wrong.

"Tonight, there has been an attack. We do not know what these creatures were, but they are certainly very dangerous. We were very fortunate that no one was hurt. That being said, we ask that the knowledge of the safe-rooms is kept as quiet as possible. Obviously the safe-rooms will be much safer if they aren't common knowledge…"

I knew it was wrong, but I was so exhausted by the night's events that I fell asleep long before she had finished. When I woke, it was nearly light out and someone was shaking me gently.

"Phoenix, you need to wake up now," Madame Scamander said softly. I glanced about to see all of my family members staring at me worriedly.

I blushed.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to fall asleep, I was just tired," I said. Madame Scamander smiled at me.

"That's alright Miss Potter. Now, classes are cancelled for the day, but I think you'd get a much better rest up in the Hospital Wing, don't you think?"

I longed to argue with her, but something in the way she looked at me told me not to. Instead, I simply nodded, ignoring the curious looks from my family. It wasn't exactly a secret that I hated the Hospital Wing.

My Dad, Uncle and Teddy, who now wore his usual blue hair and green eyes, came up, kissing me on the forehead before moving to hug the others. After they had left, Madame Scamander gave me a few moments to reassure my cousins, siblings and boyfriend before leading me to the Hospital Wing. When we got there, I found that I wasn't surprised to see Professor McGonagall sitting on one of the beds.

She stood as we entered. "Luna, what were those things? Did…did they curse you two also?"

I glanced up at Madame Scamander to see her nod. I quickly followed suit.

"Those things were called _Ker_. I will explain more, but first I need you two to change into these," Madame Scamander pulled out a few pairs of black trousers and some plain white t-shirts. McGonagall gave her an odd glance, but was quick to disappear behind a curtain with one of each.

I went behind another curtain, sighing as I stared down at my pale skin. I was slightly darker than I had been just after the attack, but I was far from my usual summer tan.

When I exited, Madame Scamander approached McGonagall and I, dressed similarly to us.

"Okay. I'm really hoping I'm wrong about what happened to us tonight, but I don't think I am. I'm going to have to ask to look at your backs please."

At this, McGonagall gave her a look that said 'you've lost your mind', before turning around. Madame Scamander gently lifted up her shirt a few inches. I felt as though I should turn away, but found that I couldn't.

Madame Scamander sighed, then gestured for me to come see.

I gasped. Professor McGonagall had a black symbol on her back. It looked like something a child would draw to represent a person. It was a large V, with a circle set in the center of the V. Below that sat another V, this one upside-down. It looked like a head, set between two arms, with the lower V making up legs.

McGonagall twisted, trying to see the tattoo. When she found that she couldn't see it, she began asking us what it was. I turned around quickly, and pulled my shirt up slightly.

Professor McGonagall's gasp confirmed that I had one as well. We both turned to Madame Scamander, who turned about and let us look at her back.

She had one as well.

"Madame Scamander…what are these things?" I asked her.

She sighed again. "It's the Egyptian symbol for slave. Here, sit down; we'll call up for some tea. This is a rather long story."

I moved towards one of the beds. Suddenly, Professor McGonagall reached out and caught my wrist, pulling me to a stop.

"Wait. Before you tell us more, we all have to agree that we will tell _no one_ of this. I feel that it could be a very bad thing if we did."

I longed to tell Freddy and Jay, but I knew that she was right. I had a feeling, deep in my gut, that these tattoos were a very bad sign, and that the best plan of action was to keep them a secret.

It was safest that way.

* * *

 **First of all, I would like to clarify that Leanne Bernet is Leanne, Katie Bell's friend. She was never given a last name, so Bernet is the one I gave to her. If you had something else in mind, my apologies, feel free to pretend that she got married or something.**

 **So, Luna was the friend who studied ancient hieroglyphics, and had theories on where magic comes from. Anyone guess that it was her?**

 **I'm so, so exited to finally have this chapter typed and up. This chapter has been planned for so long. I really hope everyone likes it.**

 **Now, feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, but:**

 _ **Phobos**_ **is fear.**

 _ **Dunamis**_ **is power.**

 _ **Thanatos**_ **is death.**

 **Also, I'm pretty sure that Greek** _ **Ker**_ **are actually female "death bringers", but I've changed mine to just spirits that inhabit bodies. I've also changed lots of other things, all of which will be revealed in due time.**

laxgirl1415 **: I'm so sorry this chapter took a while! I'm glad you're enjoying the story! Thank you for reviewing! (Again!) Xx**

 **Thank you all for reading, reviewing, following and favoriting!**


	13. Like Cho Chang At Christmas

**Author's Note: Last chapter, I meant to clarify this but forgot: the symbol I described is not the actual Egyptian symbol for slave.**

 **Now, this chapter has a bit of mature content. No details or lemons, but alcohol use is mentioned, and it hints at other things. I really don't think that anything is over a teen rating, but I'm warning everyone just to be fair.**

 **I don't own Harry Potter; if I did, Dobby would have lived, pulled Winky out of her depression, married her, and had lots of baby House Elves!**

* * *

 **Like Cho Chang At Christmas**

* * *

For some reason, I found it difficult to keep the fact that I was branded a slave to an ancient creature, which most likely worked for a new Dark Lord, a secret from my large, and very nosy family.

Three days after the attack I was still reassuring my family. I received letters from my various family members every morning, and my cousins, siblings, and Kneazle followed me _everywhere_. Though I knew they were only doing it because they cared, it was getting quite frustrating.

Especially considering Jay had been avoiding me.

At first I had thought that he was just put off by my constant posse, but after we sat through an entire Charms class without him uttering so much as a word to me, I was sure he was just avoiding me. It was starting to make me a bit angry.

Sure I hadn't told him what had happened to me, but he hadn't even bothered to ask. He just went out of his way to keep away from me. He no longer sat with me at breakfast, or in the Common Room. If I saw him in the hallways, it was only a glimpse of the back of his head as he walked away from me. I had tried following him around, cornering him, sitting next to him, or simply talking until he got too annoyed to ignore me in Charms, but it was as though he had become mute. He sat silently next to me until he could get up and leave, and then he all but ran away from me.

Finally, I was fed up.

I was in Fred and James' dorm. Fred had been dragging me around nearly everywhere he went, so it had been easy to end up in his room without suspicion. I had slipped a bit of Sleeping potion in Circe's food, which I knew I would have to apologize for later, but found necessary in order to make my escape. I had made sure to sit with Freddy at dinner as well, so I knew for a fact that he had had plenty of the pumpkin juice. All I had to do was mention "how different it tasted", and shove the pitcher at him several times, and he drank almost constantly to appease me.

In addition to filling him up with liquids, I also learned a joke spell, which made someone really have to use the restroom. It was one of Uncle George's spells, so it had been easy to get my hands on.

Fred and I were alone in his dorm, since James had a date with a Giggler, and Fred threw out all of his other dormmates when we came in (or rather, all of Fred's roommates had the sense to leave, save Max Holland, whom Fred threw out). With the whisper of the spell, Fred was scurrying into the bathroom, yelling curses and apologies, and leaving me completely alone. Immediately I sprang up off of his bed and towards James'. I flung open his chest, digging towards the false bottom I just happened to know existed. It was supposed to be a secret, something Dad let James get in order to "preserve his privacy" (something that can be hard to come by as a twin, as well as a middle child of 5), but I had been standing outside James' room when it happened, so I knew about it.

I muttered an unlocking spell and yanked open the bottom of the trunk. Inside lay the Map and the cloak. I grabbed both, slid the cloak over my shoulders, shut and locked the false bottom, returned the trunk to the state I had found it, and rushed out of the room.

"I solemnly swear that I'm up to no good," I whispered to the map. Immediately I saw Hogwarts spread across the little piece of paper.

I was glad to see it was working again. After the attack, James had taken both the cloak and the Map out of my pockets. I hadn't noticed until I returned to the Common Room, where I started to panic, thinking that the _Ker_ had taken them. James had to all but throw the Map at me in order to calm me down.

I saw that Jay was in the library. I quickly snuck down the stairs, locking the door behind me to stall Freddy for a bit longer. I crossed the Common Room just behind a couple of first years, who, I was grateful to see, were leaving the room, so I didn't have to wait. Obviously I couldn't just open the portrait while under the cloak.

I made it down the halls easily enough. Dinner had only just ended, so there were plenty of people around. This meant that the only thing I had to worry about was making sure no one ran into me.

Upon making it to the library, I double and triple checked to make sure that none of my family members were inside or coming towards the entrance, then I pulled off the cloak. I made my way towards the back, where Jay was sitting, with a feeling of anxiety that normally only came before a Quidditch match.

" _What if he doesn't want to talk to me because of something I did_?" I thought, then shook my head. Of _course_ he doesn't want to talk to me because of something I did, what other reason could he have for being upset with me? …Unless he just didn't feel the same about me any more…

Feeling rather ill, I finally found myself standing in front of Jay's table. He was bent over it, studying a book with absolute concentration. I paused for a moment to admire how cute he looked when he was focused. He got a little crease on his forehead as he furrowed his brow, and he sucked in his cheeks a bit. He would occasionally bite his lower lip and run the top of his quill along his jaw, before writing something down on the piece of parchment next to him. He looked adorable and incredibly gorgeous, somehow all at the same time. I longed to grab him and snog him senseless.

I realized that I was inching forward, and quickly pulled myself back. Then I took a deep breath and cleared my throat. Immediately, Jay looked up.

For a second, he looked extremely annoyed, probably at being interrupted, and I was convinced he was about to yell at me. Then he realized it was me, and his face shuttered off completely. He glanced about, then, realizing I was alone, sighed and turned back to his book.

I stared at him in surprise.

I think I would have rather he yelled at me. At least then we would have been talking.

I slowly inched my way around the table. When he didn't so much as look up from his book, I sat down in the chair next to him. I waited a few seconds, hoping he would say something before I did, but he continued to read.

"Aren't you going to talk to me?" I asked him.

No response.

Well…that didn't work. Feeling as though I would be sick, I tried again.

"Could we just…talk about this? It's not fair, if I don't even know what's going on."

Again, Jay didn't react, and I felt my face beginning to grow red as my nausea turned into anger.

"You know, a relationship works both ways. You don't get to call all of the shots, make all the decisions. If you want something, or you've got a problem, we need to talk about it, not ignore each other like five-year-olds."

Cue Jay continuing to ignore me childishly.

"Jay, come on, seriously? I didn't think you were this kind of guy," My anger faded a bit, giving way to sadness as I whispered, "You're really hurting me."

For a moment, Jay froze up, and I thought I had finally gotten through to him. Then he blew a piece of hair out of his eyes, and turned the page in his book.

I felt something snap.

"Are you joking? Don't you care at all? Do you know how hard it was for me to admit that all of this is affecting me? Well I won't ever admit it to anyone else, but I will tell _you_ that I'm hurting over this. Hell, I'll admit that I've cried in the bloody shower over the way you're treating me. Don't you care?"

Jay blew another piece of hair from his eyes before setting his face in his hands.

"Are even going to tell me what I did wrong?" I demanded.

At this Jay looked up at me, and for a moment I could see pain, anger, worry and hurt flash across his face. He opened his mouth, sucking in a deep breath, and I prepared for him to start yelling at me.

Instead he said, quite calmly, "We need a break."

* * *

I'm not sure how I made it back to the Common Room. I ran into Fred and Roxy on the way back, so I would assume they had something to do with it. Upon reaching the Common Room, I turned, handed Fred the cloak and Map, and walked up the stairs, ignoring their questions.

I wasn't sure why, but I ended up in the 6th year girl's dorm. Every girl in the room looked up when I entered, but I ignored them all until I found the one I was looking for.

Dom sat on the end of her bed reading a magazine. She too looked up when I entered, and she looked a bit surprised when I crossed the room to stand in front of her.

"Hi. Do you need something Ann?" She seemed a bit confused when I continued to stare at her. "Here, sit down."

I sunk down onto the edge of the bed.

"Annie, are you okay?" She asked. I slowly shook my head, answering that, no, I was not okay. "Are you hurt?" She asked me, clearly concerned. I nodded, looking up at her, and I felt my eyes filling with tears. My bottom lip trembled. "Annette, what's wrong?"

At this, the damn broke, and suddenly I was bawling. Dom threw her magazine aside and wrapped her arms around me, muttering to me in French. Behind us, I heard Molly running from the room and Dom's dormmates whispering, but I found that, this time, I didn't care that people could see me crying.

I felt like someone had punched a hole in my chest.

And I didn't even know what I had done wrong.

* * *

By the next morning, everyone was buzzing about our "break". When I had finally calmed down enough to form words, the entire female side of my family was gathered around Dom's bed. They had been just as stunned and confused as I at the abrupt ending of our relationship. Freddy had been angry upon hearing (via Lily, who had rushed down to tell Al) but he hadn't been able to get Jay to tell him why.

Apparently, my break up was "punishment enough" for stealing the cloak and Map and sneaking off. I was grateful for this, for hearing the rumors on why Jay and I broke up (which were anywhere from the outlandish "I had been cheating on Jay with _Fred_ " and "we had gotten into a 'my horse is bigger than your horse' argument over our families, and settled it with a life-or-death game of Quidditch' to the mellow "he had done it to focus on his OWLs") and listening to girls talk about how cute he was, how glad they were that he was single, or how I had "never deserved him anyways" was incredibly painful.

For the first few days after Jay and I split, I walked around in a haze.

I didn't want to do anything. Each morning, Dom came into my room, and she and Roxy would convince me to shower, brushed my hair, brush my teeth, then get me dressed, and drag me down to the Common Room. After that we would go to the Great Hall, where they would try to convince me to eat, and I would pretend to eat some toast to appease them. Then Roxy and Fred would take me to classes, where I would do the bare minimum for each day.

Even Quidditch was rather passionless for me. It was hard to enjoy something when your newly-ex boyfriend is your Captain.

Finally, the fifth day after Jay and I broke up, I realized that I was being utterly ridiculous. Hell, I was acting like Cho Chang at Christmas, when Dad had kissed her in his fifth year! I went to bed determined to collect myself and be ready for the morning.

Roxy was thrilled when I woke up before she did and got ready by myself. She practically bounced down to the Great Hall, where I discovered that I still had issues eating, but force-fed myself a few bites of something to keep up appearances. Dom was a little more skeptical, but she too seemed pleased when I walked to classes with Fred and Roxy, all the while planning a massive prank on the Slytherins with Fred.

In classes I absolutely threw myself into my work. In each class my teachers commented on how glad they were that I was "feeling better". I knew they probably had heard why I had been upset, after all, rumors spread like wildfire in Hogwarts, but it was kind of them to avoid bringing it up.

I had Charms before lunch, which had everyone a bit concerned, but I walked in and marched up to Nikki, who offered me the seat next to her before I could ask. I accepted it gratefully, and we spent the entire period working diligently. She was rather skilled at Charms, so I felt extremely confident at the end of the period. I avoided looking at Jay, though it was hard when Nikki leaned over mid-class period and whispered, "Jay's staring at you."

After that I went to lunch, where I forced down a bit more food and made sure to talk to everyone. Scorpius told me that he was glad that I was doing better, and that he had really been worried. I could see that he was being genuine, as, I suspected, could Rose, who was watching curiously from further down the table as I reached across to ruffle Scorp's hair. The boy had me in stitches by the end of lunch, and I was again reminded as to why I was so fond of him.

That evening I decided that I was going to act like I played professional Quidditch. In pro, when a player disliked the Captain, they simply treated the Captain like they would the ref: they listened to what they had to say, they let them know when they didn't agree with them, they offered their opinion but didn't expect it to always be accepted, and they treated them with respect, but distance. It was hard, but I knew that ultimately it was the best thing to do for the team, and that was what mattered to me.

It also helped to have friends on the team. I was friendly with all of our players, but Nikki, Lily, Al and Scorp in particular were helpful in making sure not to leave Jay and I alone.

I focused on nothing but Quidditch, classwork, and spending time with my family, in order to convince them that I was perfectly all right. Occasionally, I would spend time with Ben and his Slytherin friends, who were nothing like what I had expected. They constantly told me that they thought I would have made an excellent Slytherin. I chose not to tell them that the Sorting hat had agreed with them.

And then there were my Sundays.

Every Sunday I spent hours with Professor McGonagall and Madame Scamander, when she wasn't busy.

We would sit in Madame Scamander's office, so that she could join us when she didn't have patients, and research. Professor McGonagall had Professor Flitwick, who was her deputy Headmaster, take over for a few hours while we worked, and I simply told everyone I was serving detention for being out after hours during the attack.

We began by checking out dozens of books. We searched the library, looked in the restricted section, looked around in the Headmistress' office, and I even took it upon myself to ask the Room of Requirement for books on Egypt.

Any book that had suitable content on Egypt, its culture, its people, its customs, or its magic was taken. Madame Pince, the librarian, was instructed to let Professor McGonagall know if a student needed one of the books that we had, so that we could keep them all otherwise.

We cross-referenced these books with Madame Scamander's notes from her trip to Egypt. Madame Scamander also owled her husband and asked him for his notes on Egypt, telling him that she had a student who was interested.

She had me keep a journal noting everything about our symptoms that we could find. I described our markings, as McGonagall had taken to calling our tattooed symbols, in great detail, and drew a picture of them, which was a bit wonky, but decent enough for our journal. I also made notes on the torture we had to go through to get them, and we all wrote down some of the images we remembered seeing (so basically, various ways that people could die). We had also discovered that we could tell when the others were lying, which _totally_ sucked, seeing that, as a prankster, an athlete and a very stubborn person, my Headmistress and my nurse are the two people I tend to lie to the most.

We were trying to discover more about the _Ker_ , most particularly how to defeat them. From what Madame Scamander already knew, there was only one spell that could to it, but she had been unable to discover what the spell was.

She said that while she was researching in Egypt, she had felt as though someone else had done a lot of the same research just before she had. She had always assumed that this person had been her husband, but, upon looking at Mr. Scamander's notes, we found this theory unlikely. We decided that, seeing as the _Ker_ were occupying the bodies of old Death Eaters, our most likely suspect was Minister Hastings.

Madame Scamander had told us one evening, "I never liked that man. You know, Hastings means violent in Egyptian. The Wrackspurts told me…"

At that point we had dissolved into laughter. We often joked about how dumb people were, to believe that Madame Scamander was an airhead, or crazy. Just a few hours in her presence had convinced me otherwise, no matter what my Aunts and Uncles had told me my whole life. A glimpse into her notes from Egypt had convinced me that she was an absolute genius. She was a bit odd, I would admit that, but the way that she thought gave her a unique perspective on things, and I spent a lot of time just admiring connections that she made that I was certain I would have missed entirely.

Madame Scamander had filled us in on what she knew about the _Ker_ at our first "detention".

The _Ker_ were discovered by accident. The Egyptians had been doing extensive research on how to bring back the dead. The had wanted to bring back their best soldier, for they had been in the midst of a war, but instead they called upon an ancient spirit, something from the very core of magic itself. Something that had been to thousands of different realms, eras, and bodies, yet something entirely new at the same time.

The _Ker_ inhabited the body of the soldier, and they instructed it to fight in their war. The creature on its own fought like a hundred men, and it was impossible to defeat but with one spell. The Egyptians were so pleased that they created many more, and they won the battle easily after that.

The beings' faces were hidden from view with masks, like the ones we saw during the attack, in order to keep the spell a secret. The Egyptians had a rather hard time with this, however, knowing that their greatest pride would never be known, so they threw in one last twist.

The Egyptians used the bodies of opposing warriors to make their _Ker,_ and they instructed the _Ker_ to remove their mask just before they killed. That way, the last thing an enemy would see was the remnants of one of their own. It was twisted and cruel, but Madame Scamander said it had pleased them to no end.

My Sundays were really the only time my mind was off of Jay, which made sense in a way. The research we did on Sundays would most likely have an effect on how the rest of our lives played out.

After all, the markings on our backs weren't put there for show.

* * *

Despite my "professional" approach to Quidditch, I was still extremely nervous for the first game after Jay and I took our "break". Roxy told me that nearly the entire school was coming, just to see how Jay and I handled everything. I told her that it was a mark of what little else the school had to do, that so many people would come to see an ex-couple play Quidditch.

Ex-couple.

As much as I pretended otherwise, I was _hurting_ over Jay. I was also furious that he would cause me such pain, and not explain why, but it in no way lessened my heartbreak.

I missed everything about Jay. I missed his laugh, his smile, and the way he lit up when we would talk about Quidditch. I missed sitting with him, holding his hand, kissing him. I missed reading with him, how he made studying for out OWLs fun, or how he would play hangman with me when Don would join us for homework and start acting like my Aunt Hermione.

However, most of all, I missed my best friend.

The only person who really knew how I felt was Dom. I was surprised when I found myself spilling my feelings to Dom, rather than Freddy, Roxy, or even Lily, but she had cornered me after class one evening and had dragged me to the kitchens. There she had told me about a boy she had liked since she was young. She said that for years and years she had had eyes for no one but he, and he had never taken notice. She liked him even after he got a girlfriend. She said she knew that it was wrong, but she had fancied him for so long she just couldn't help it. She had assured me that she never intended to do anything about her crush after he started dating the girl.

Then, one day, she said that she and Vic had been swimming in the ocean when he had swum up. She had tried to be cool, but he hadn't noticed. Then, as she and Vic were leaving, Dom slipped on a rock and Victoire, trying to keep her sister from falling and hurting herself, had grabbed for her. Rather than catching her arms, as Vic had intended, Vic had caught her by her top.

And ripped it off.

It was last year, and Dominique was fifteen at the time. She said that, upon finding herself topless in front of her crush, she had pulled on her shirt and run crying back to her house. Vic came up to her room, apologizing profusely and promising that she and the boy, whom she had sworn to absolute secrecy before following Dom, would never speak of it again. Dom had thought that was the end of it.

Until she went to a party a few weeks later.

Vic was supposed to go as well, but had gotten Dragon Pox the day of. Dom had thought of not going, but Vic convinced her to go without her, telling her to have a good time. Uncle Bill had encouraged her to go as well, telling her to spend the night at a friend's house afterwards, so that she didn't get sick as well. Dom had reluctantly gotten ready, and headed over to the party.

And he was there.

She said that everyone at the party had gotten drunk, including them. She ended up dancing with him, and afterwards he told her that she shouldn't be embarrassed over what happened at the beach. He said he had always found her beautiful, and that only confirmed it. Drunk, but dazzled, Dom had spilled her feeling for him, and he had ended up taking her home, where…

At this point Dom widened her eyes at me, and I had understood perfectly.

It had been her first time, and she said that afterwards he had told her he loved her. The next morning she had woken up next to him, feeling hung-over and utterly guilt ridden. She had taken a bit of Hangover potion that she had brought, then ran to his bathroom, sick with guilt. When she came back he was sitting on the edge of the bed, a bottle of Hangover potion next to him (which had recently been designed to bring back any drunken memories the user may have forgotten). She had tried to sit down next to him, but he had quickly stood, pulling on his clothes She had been both relieved and heartbroken as he told her that he had made a mistake. He was not in love with her, and, while he did find her attractive, she had more of a friendly role in his mind, perhaps even a sisterly one. He then explained to her that he fancied his girlfriend a great deal, loved her even. He had apologized for leading her on, then offered to take her home.

Dom had been crushed, to say the least. She had also felt very, very guilty.

She had moped around for a few days, much like I had after Jay broke up with me, and her family had assumed it was just because Vic was sick and school was starting soon. Dom had let them all believe it.

All except Vic.

After Vic had gotten better, Dom had told her everything. She had told Vic how terrible she felt, and assured her that she hadn't meant to do anything with the boy. She had just been very, very drunk.

And, now bawling, Dom had told me that Vic looked her in the eyes, told her that she was not the girl she had thought she was, and asked her to leave her room.

Dom and Vic hadn't gotten along since. They acted as though they did, for the sake of the family, but Dom said Vic wouldn't have even asked her be her Maid of Honor if it hadn't been expected.

For the life of me, I couldn't figure out who the guy was. Aunt Fleur and Uncle Bill lived near a large wizarding village, so the girls had grown up with many other witches and wizards their age. I figured that, in order for Vic to have reacted as strongly as she did, the boy must have been dating one of her friends. The only problem was; Vic had a lot of friends.

So I decided not to worry about who the guy was. Instead, I was honored that Dom would tell me her secret, something that, before me, only three people, Dom, Vic, and the boy, had known. I suddenly understood why Dom was constantly off with guys. She was trying to take her mind off of the boy. I also understood why Dom obsessed with being perfect, with both looks and lifestyle. Having a boy shoot you down after telling you that he loved you and thought you were beautiful must have be extremely damaging to your confidence.

Suddenly, my cousin became much more human, and I found myself coming to her whenever I needed advice. I told her everything, because she trusted me, and I trusted her.

So, the morning of the Quidditch match, it was Dom who I went to for help preparing (mentally and physically) for the game. It was Dom whose pep talk got me out of the shower (her shower, mind you), and Dom who convinced me to put on my robes and "show everyone who was boss". It was Dom who convinced to put on subtle make-up and spell it not to run when I sweat, to "make Jay, and everyone else, realize just what he was missing". It was Dom who drug me down to the Great Hall to eat, and Dom who walked with me to the locker rooms.

Dom was the reason I was able to listen to Jay's pre-match speech, and walk away with steady hands, ready to fly.

I had never felt closer to my cousin, nor had I ever appreciated her more.

Dom also infused an anger in me. I was angry with Jay. Who was he to treat me like he had? How dare he make _me_ feel like the one who had wronged? I had done nothing, and our break up was his fault.

I played the match like I had been practicing: wholeheartedly. I threw myself into the game. I ignored everything that didn't immediately affect me. I was barely avoiding Bludgers and other players.

Hufflepuff never stood a chance.

After the match, Dom threw a major party in the Common Room. For the first time, I noticed that the "alcohol" she was never seen without at parties was Butterbeer. I noticed that one of the first things she did was ask around, seeing which guys had girlfriends and which were known to avoid dating. When she would find one of the latter, she would disappear with him for a while, but she came back, assuring me that she wouldn't be leaving me alone at the party.

After the younger Gryffindors were sent to bed, Dom convinced me to dance. I was actually having a decent time, ignoring Jay (wherever he was) with ease as my cousin spun me around and acted like a drunken bimbo (which was hysterical; it was a wonder none of us had never noticed just how over the top her act was). Dom kept trying to tell me that lots of blokes were staring at me, but I waved her off. Finally, I staggered out of the crowd, and into a quiet corner.

Holland seemed to appear out of no where just after I sat down.

"Hey Phoenix. You look hot," He said, offering me a glass of something.

"Yeah," I said, accepting the glass but not drinking out of it. "It is a bit warm in here, and I don't think I've sat down since the match started." I wiped a bit of sweat off of my forehead. Who knew dancing was such hard work?

"Erm…yeah. So anyways, I heard about you and Jay," Ouch. No tact with this one. "And I just wanted to say, I think he's an idiot. He never deserved you in the first place, and it was stupid of him to let you go."

How the hell did I respond to that? "Uh…thanks?"

"No problem. So anyways, I figured, Hogsmeade is next weekend, and you wouldn't have anyone to go with since Jay dumped you. Want to come along with me?" He asked.

What?

* * *

 **Jay Wood's Point of View:**

* * *

She was so pale.

Her face, her arms, even her lips were white, like someone had dusted her with flour.

Every movement she made was pained. When I pulled her into a tight hug, relieved to see that she was alive, I felt her suck in a breath, as though I was hurting her by pulling her close.

It was my fault.

I tried to speak with her, though I wasn't sure what I would have said. I was almost relieved when her Kneazle interrupted us, for it saved me from trying to figure out what I wanted to say. I merely watched as her lips moved, thanking me for "saving" Circe, like Circe was the one who needed to be saved. I couldn't look at her as she kissed my cheek gratefully, as I acknowledged her thanks.

Her kitten wasn't the one who needed saving, she was. And I hadn't done a thing about it.

She fell asleep so quickly, like she couldn't keep her eyes open any longer. As McGonagall and the Aurors droned on and on about how dangerous the attack had been and how we needed to be safe, I could only stare at my girlfriend with guilt. Her eyelids fluttered, like she was seeing terrible things, and she writhed around a bit. She was shaking when we finally woke her up, and for a split second she seemed panicked, like was expecting to see something terrible upon opening her eyes. Then her expression cleared, and she was back to reassuring everyone.

I couldn't look at her. I didn't need to be reassured, she did. I hadn't protected her.

I don't think Phoenix realized just how bad she had looked. She had, as Al had put it, looked like death walking. I had never seen her without a gorgeous tan, but she had been almost translucent after the attack. My mother had once described her as a maple tree in autumn, with her golden-brown tan and fiery red hair, but after the attack she had been like a lit candlestick.

We waited all day in the Common Room, though we wouldn't have ever let her know that we did. James had taken the Map and the cloak from her pocket during McGonagall's speech, and we took turns watching the Map for her return.

Most of her little cousins slept while we waited, but some, like me, were unable to rest.

I was too consumed by guilt to sleep. I, like every other child our age, had grown up hearing stories about Harry Potter. The man was a legend, brave, selfless, and heroic. He had always rushed into danger in order to protect others.

But when his daughter was in danger, no one was there to protect her.

I could tell James was having a hard time with it as well, as was Fred. James fancied himself the reincarnate of James Potter, the brave man who gave his life for his wife, son, and beliefs, but he also took great pride in being the son of Harry Potter, and being named after Sirius Black. All of those men were heroes, and he was having a hard time not being one himself.

And Fred had always had too much pressure on his shoulders. We could all see it, especially when he wasn't around Phoenix. Around her, Fred had an identity, a reputation of his own. He was Freddy, Phoenix's best friend, the smart, funny guy, who was always getting into trouble, but enough of a teacher's pet (with all of his extra classes…) to avoid being punished too harshly. A lot of the younger boys looked up to the guy he was around Phoenix.

But without her, Fred was expected to be exactly like his namesake. His parents definitely thought that he was, for all they ever heard about were his pranks, and all they ever saw was the red-haired, freckled prankster, a twin, and identical to the original Fred Weasley. The man who died for the cause.

What was it with their family naming their kids after people who died fighting a war?

I knew that Phoenix would want me to comfort them, but what would I say? I couldn't comfort them without lying, for how were they any better than I? Sure they were younger, and possibly not as skilled as I, but they were her family. And we had all heard what Harry Potter had done by the time he was their age.

So we waited in silence until Al finally yelled, "She's coming!"

Then it was discussed who would stay with her first. I was suggested, but I declined, saying that I thought she should be around her family.

She should be around someone who was brave.

* * *

I knew I should talk to her, tell her how I was feeling, but I also knew what she would say. She would tell me that I was wrong, that there was nothing I could have done, and I would have walked around wondering if she really meant it. She was entirely too good at lying, especially when she was angry. I didn't want her to be walking around, secretly angry with me. I didn't want to be the motive behind a prank via her and Fred.

Deep down, I knew I was being ridiculous, but I was suddenly entirely too unsure around my own girlfriend.

So I avoided her. I ignored her. I pushed her away, hoping that I would push her towards someone who would be better for her.

I had succeeded in avoiding her until she cornered me in the library.

I had been reading a book on Charms, trying to get through the chapter without thinking about her, and finding it impossible. Occasionally I would loose focus so much, I would look down to find myself writing her name on a piece of parchment.

I finally gave up and just thought about her; how it felt to hold her while I was reading, how I could hardly ever concentrate while I did, not that I would ever let her know that. I thought about how I spent the entire time longing to snog her, and I suddenly found myself starting to rise out of my chair, on the verge of going to find her.

Then a throat cleared, and I sank back into my seat, annoyed with myself. How stupid was I, to even consider doing something like that?

Then I realized that I was staring at Phoenix.

Who was all alone.

I quickly turned back to my book.

I could feel her staring at me. I knew she was probably surprised at my cold behavior, but I didn't think I could open my mouth without begging her to forgive me.

I could hear her slowly making her way around the table. " _Please don't sit down, please don't sit down,_ " I thought. I glared at my book as she got closer, trying not to jump up and pull her to me. As she sat down, I tried not to move towards her, to even look her direction, or I knew I would cave. I was surprised my book didn't go flat with how hard I was staring at it.

"Aren't you going to talk to me?" She asked softly.

Dammit, she sounded so bloody sad. I knew I was hurting her even more by not talking to her, but I was hoping it would be better for her in the long run.

"Could we just…talk about this? It's not fair, if I don't even know what's going on."

Please let her get angry. Let her get angry with me, let her yell at me. Let her do the things that I didn't want to do, that I wouldn't be able to do.

"You know, a relationship works both ways. You don't get to call all of the shots, make all the decisions. If you want something, or you've got a problem, we need to talk about it, not ignore each other like five-year-olds."

I stayed silent, hoping to rile her up. Then we would have argued, and she would have her reason to hate me. Then she wouldn't keep trying to talk to me, and I wouldn't have to try so hard not to respond.

"Jay, come on, seriously? I didn't think you were this kind of guy," Her voice broke as she whispered, "You're really hurting me."

I tensed up, knowing how rarely she admitted to her feelings. I blew out a shaky breath, trying not to let her know how badly this was hurting me as well. I could feel my hands start to shake, and I quickly turned a page in my book to disguise it.

I could tell that this made her mad when, out of the corner of my eye, I saw her face growing very red.

"Are you joking? Don't you care at all? Do you know how hard it was for me to admit that all of this is affecting me? Well I won't ever admit it to anyone else, but I will tell _you_ that I'm hurting over this. Hell, I'll admit that I've cried in the bloody shower over the way you're treating me. Don't you care?" She half yelled.

I let out another shaky breath and, giving up all pretenses of not caring, laid my head down in my hands.

"Are even going to tell me what I did wrong?" She demanded angrily.

What she did wrong? My head seemed to snap up on its own. She thought _she_ had done something wrong?

Of _course_ she did. Suddenly I realized that there were few other conclusions she could have drawn. I was ignoring her, seemingly for no reason. How was she to know that I was doing it _for her_?

There were a thousand things I wished I could do in that moment. I wanted to apologize, I wanted to snog her, I wanted to cry, I wanted to go back in time and change what happened that night, I wanted to stop hating myself so much. I wanted to everything but what knew I needed to do.

So, ignoring what I wanted to do, I forced myself to take a deep breath and choke out, "We need a break."

It was better for her. Maybe she wouldn't find someone who could protect her, but at least she wouldn't be with someone who hated himself like I did.

After all, if I couldn't like myself, who could?

* * *

I wasn't sure how I got back to the Common Room after Pince threw me out of the library.

I ditched classes the next day, the first day after our break up, because I knew it would be too painful to see her so soon. I knew I would break, and end up begging her to forgive me.

I avoided her at all costs after that. I avoided everything after that. I merely walked around in a fog.

I was utterly pathetic, and I knew it.

Finally, Don and Arnold spelled a bucket of ice water to pour over my bed while I was sleeping. Despite nearly drowning in from their over-enthusiasm, it was what I needed to wake back up a bit.

She seemed to be doing fine. I knew I should have been grateful for this, but a part of me had hoped that she would have had as hard of a time with our break up as I did.

I threw myself into classes and Quidditch. I wasn't really talking to my friends, but I had managed to convince them that I wasn't about to kill over in the middle of class. I spent nearly all of my time out on the Quidditch pitch. When other teams had practice I would sit behind the stands and do homework or study for my OWLs. When they didn't, my feet didn't touch the ground until it was so dark I wasn't sure where the ground was.

She always seemed so carefree at practices. She was completely dedicated, focusing only on the sport, and not on her teammates.

I had heard the rumors going around about us, and I knew that people were itching to see us interact. If they could see us at practice they would be bewildered.

We didn't act like a couple that had broken up over cheating, arguing, or even OWLs.

We didn't look like we had ever been a couple at all.

During the Hufflepuff-Gryffindor Quidditch match, I hardly took my eyes off the Quaffle. Bludgers and other players took a backseat as I did everything I could to make sure our team scored repeatedly. When we won, it didn't come as a surprise.

I spent a long time afterwards in the shower.

I didn't want to go to the party in the Common Room. I had heard Phoenix talking to Dominique about it, and I knew that she was probably having a good time, drinking, laughing, and dancing.

And then it hit me that she would most likely be dancing with other guys.

I exited the shower in a hurry, and nearly ran over Fred Weasley.

"Fred. What are you doing here?" I asked him in surprise.

"Wondering what the hell you're doing to my cousin. You think I don't know what your deal is? We all feel guilt about not being with her during the attack. Too bloody bad mate. If we all pushed her away out of guilt, the only thing we would do is leave her alone again. You're hurting her more now than you did the night of the attack. I don't know what happened that night, none of us do, but obviously something did. She bloody well needs you. You don't get to push her away. That's selfish. Go fix your bloody mess Jay," Fred spat. Then he turned and left me to my thoughts.

Shit.

 _Shit_.

Fred was right. I didn't know how I hadn't seen it before. The only thing I could do was be there for Phoenix. Not push her away. I needed to make sure that she was never hurt again, not hurt her more.

I wasn't a Slytherin. I wasn't a Hufflepuff. I wasn't even a Ravenclaw. I was a goddamn Gryffindor, and next time Phoenix was in danger, I wasn't going to sit around and knit.

I would be there for her.

Mentally slapping myself for my idiocy, I began to sprint back to the castle.

I wasn't sure if Phoenix would take me back, but I knew that I had to try. Even if she didn't take me back right away, if I had to, I would spend the rest of my life trying to convince her to go out with me again.

I had been mad for Phoenix since my second year. I had only been with her for a year, and I wasn't about to loose her now.

I flew back into the Common Room, searching until I found her, sitting alone in a corner.

I began making my way over to her when I saw Max-fucking-Holland standing next to her.

That boy got on my last nerve.

I admired my ex as I walked closer.

Then I paused as I realized just how thin Phoenix had gotten.

I didn't know how I hadn't noticed it before, because it was glaringly obvious to me now. She had always been petite, but she suddenly looked ridiculously tiny.

For a few moments I could only stare at her little wrists, her legs, and her waist.

I snapped out of it when I realized what Holland had just asked.

"Hogsmeade is next weekend…want to come along with me?"

What?

* * *

 **Please don't hate me!**

 **Jay isn't pathetic, I promise! He just really, really likes Phoenix, and wants to be the perfect guy for her. Sort of sweet actually.**

 **Poor Dom! Her past is so sad. We'll find out more about her mystery guy soon.**

 **I hope this chapter wasn't too hectic. I'm out of town right now, and finding it difficult to find time to write!**

Son of Whitebeard **: Thank you! It's really fun to write. Hopefully you're enjoying this story!**

 **And, as always, many thanks for reading, reviewing, following and favoriting!**

 **Much love.**


	14. Like Oliver Wood Loves Quidditch

**Author's Note: I would like to clarify something. Last chapter I said that Phoenix and Jay were "taking a break". This was a bit of a mistake on my part, for it has come to my attention that, universally, that term is not always used in the way that I used it.**

 **Where I'm from, when one says "we need to take a break", it is a form of breaking up. It doesn't have to be permanent, hence the word 'break', but it is a way of telling your significant other that you are unhappy, and would like to stop seeing them. Perhaps, some time in the future, you could end your 'break' and start seeing each other again, but it isn't a definite thing.**

 **That is why Phoenix was so upset when Jay suggested that they take a break. I apologize if this confused you.**

 **Yet another warning, just in case: mild alcohol use in this chapter.**

 **I do not own Harry Potter; if I did, Oliver Wood would be mine! ~Evil laugh~**

* * *

 **Like Oliver Wood Loves Quidditch**

* * *

 **Last chapter:**

* * *

" _So anyways, I figured, Hogsmeade is next weekend, and you wouldn't have anyone to go with since Jay dumped you. Want to come along with me?" He asked._

 _What?_

* * *

What?

"Oh, Holland, that's really sweet, but I don't want to encroach on your day. Plus, I heard you're taking that girl from Ravenclaw. I would hate to ruin your date," I told him. Actually, I just didn't want to spend a day with _Max Holland_. The boy was nice, but annoying as hell, and I still hadn't figured out what he wanted, not since Jay and I…

And anyways, I didn't do things with people because they pitied me. And asking me to join him (and his date) because Jay broke up with me was definitely a move made out of pity.

"Oh, well actually I'm not, but it wouldn't matter either way. And you know, you can call me-" Holland was cut off by a snort from somewhere behind me.

I froze, praying that the laugh didn't belong to who I _knew_ it belonged to. In front of me, Holland narrowed his eyes, glaring over my shoulder.

"Something funny?" He spat.

Jay walked up from behind me, standing near my shoulder and folding his arms.

"No, you're just an idiot," My ex said coolly. I longed to spit something back at him (not out of longing to defend Holland, just out of longing to pick a fight), but my throat had suddenly gone dry. Instead, I simply stared at him, hoping that he would walk away before I had to talk to him.

"Why I ought to-" Holland started, before being cut off yet again.

"You ought to shut up and leave, that's what you ought to do," Jay told him, stepping forward to stand between Holland and I. Holland looked to me for support, but I was still staring at Jay in panic. Holland huffed, then turned on his heel and strode off, looking angry.

Jay turned around as soon as he left, nearly spilling the drink in his hand. Upon feeling it slosh about, he glanced at it with surprise, as though he hadn't known he had it. Then he looked at the drink in my hand, and seemed to form a plan.

"I, erm…I brought you this, so that you didn't have to drink whatever that idiot brought you," Jay said, uncertainly at first, but firmly by the time he had finished his sentence.

I gazed at the Butterbeer he held, then glanced at the drink in my hand, which looked to be Firewhiskey. On a whim, I downed the alcohol in one long drink, ignoring the way my throat seemed to burn as I did, then gave him my best glare.

"You should really learn not to interrupt people's conversations. It's quite rude. As is insulting the person they're talking to," I told him coldly. He was staring at me with a mixture of shock and sadness.

"Phoenix, could we step outside for a moment?" He asked me.

"Step outside? In case you've forgotten, it's after hours. I'm not allowed out after hours, not after what happened last time. Oh, wait! You wouldn't know what happened last time, now would you? No, you were to busy giving me the silent treatment to ask. But hey, when your girlfriend-sorry ex-girlfriend-gets caught in the middle of a dangerous attack, isn't acting like a five-year-old the best way to handle it?" I drawled sarcastically. His eyes looked like they were about to fall out of his head, they were so wide.

I leaned up next to a bloke who was dancing nearby.

"Hey, would you mind getting me another Firewhiskey?" I asked him, deciding to take a leaf out of Dom's book and fluttering my eyelashes for effect. And, while I didn't quite pull the same reaction as my part-Veela cousin, I was pleased to see him look a bit dazzled as he nodded and walked away.

Jay looked rather pissed when I turned back around. "I don't think you need another Firewhiskey. Isn't one enough? Or have you had more than that?" He asked.

I started to respond, but paused to thank the boy as he reappeared with my drink. I gave him a wink, then tried not to slap him as he brushed a little too close to my arse on his way back to the dance floor. I took a sip of my drink to hide my displeasure.

After I swallowed I said, "So, now you're going to act like my mother? Would you like to owl her as well? That would really be the icing on the cake, yeah?" I wasn't sure where the sarcasm was coming from, but I wasn't complaining. I would have thought that talking to Jay again would have me a crying mess. I wasn't about to argue with not crying in front of nearly half of Gryffindor.

"No, I wasn't trying to…I wouldn't…look Phoenix, I'm trying to apologize!" He exclaimed, frustrated.

Wait…what?

"Apologize?" I asked softly.

"Yes! Phoenix, look I completely understand that what I did was wrong-"

"Oh I would hope so," I snapped.

"Yes, I know it was, but I've realized that, and I would never do it again. I pushed you away after the attack because I had realized that you deserved so much better than me! While you were in the middle of an attack, I was sitting safely in a little room, knowing that nothing was going to get to me, but that you were out there all alone. Phoenix, I _hate_ myself for that. You deserve someone who is going to jump into danger for you; regardless of what could happen, or who tells him he's not allowed. You're an _amazing_ person, and you deserve to live a long, happy, safe life. Look, no one will ever be able to deserve you, you're far too perfect for that, but you deserve someone who's going to try their hardest to get as close as possible. By walking into that safe-room and leaving you on your own, I wasn't doing that. But I realize that now, and I promise you that it will never happen again. Phoenix, I miss you so much, and all I want is to be with you, because that makes me really, really happy; hopefully it makes you happy as well. I know that you may not be able to forgive me yet, but I'm hoping you will be able to soon. Because I'm really sorry. I know what I did was wrong, and I'll work for the rest of my life to convince you that I've learned better, so that you can forgive me."

Oh.

"Jay," I started to speak, then stopped.

I was drawing a blank. Suddenly, I had absolutely no idea what to say. All witty or sarcastic comments had flown out the window.

Jay seemed to understand that I needed to figure out what was going on in my head. He stood patiently, still holding the Butterbeer.

"Jay…I need to…"

I paused, then drained the Firewhiskey in my hand. I had never had alcohol before and my head was starting to spin a bit. This made it even harder to form a response.

"I…I'm sorry," I pushed past him, stumbling a bit. I staggered up to my room, and fell across my bed. I could still hear his apology echoing in my head; still see the look on his face as I pushed by him. The glass in my hand fell to the floor and broke, but I paid it no mind.

Dom opened the door to my dorm and crossed the room to sit down next to me.

"Fred was listening, and he told James, who told Lucy, who told Molly, who told me. I don't know what you should do. Just sleep on it, and we'll talk about this in the morning," She whispered.

I felt her hand brush across my hair. I continued to gaze at the floor. Then she started singing a song our parents, Aunts, Uncles, and Grandparents had sung to us all our lives.

And the tears that had been missing during my confrontation with Jay finally came.

* * *

"Good morning my little Mandrakes!" Roxy's overly cheery voice interrupted my sleep the next morning.

"Merlin Rox, stop shouting. And why Mandrakes?" I groaned. Her enthusiasm was almost painful. I looked over my shoulder to see Dom sprawled across my bed, her head resting on my lower back. Lucy and Lana had apparently decided that my bed was much more comfortable than their own, for Lana was curled up on my pillow and Lucy was reclined against her knees. Roxy was sitting on the floor below my bed, Lily's head resting in her lap. Alice, Rose, and Molly had stolen blankets and pillows from the other beds, and were curled up in a pile next to Lily. Even Nikki had joined in. She was mirrored Roxy; leaned up against the edge of my bed. The only difference between the two was that Nikki had Lily's feet in her lap, rather than her head.

"I don't know, but I like it!" Roxy said cheerily, offering me a potion. I accepted it, and was relieved to feel my headache begin to fade.

"Oh, you're a lifesaver. So, what brought on the sleepover?" I asked. Then the potion, which I had identified as a Hangover potion, kicked in completely, and I remembered the events from the night before. "Oh. Never mind."

I received several looks of sympathy. Nikki leaned across Lily to take the potion from my hand. She held up a finger as she drank, and we all waited while she handed the potion off to Dom (who I now knew didn't need it), and gave her mouthful a chance to begin working.

Finally, she lowered her hand and began to speak. "So, I love Jay to death, not like that, don't give me that look Molls, but it was really shitty of him to ignore you like he did. And dump you for the reason that he did. So, I think that you can afford to be a little shitty back. Rose honey, I'm nearly 16; I'm allowed to swear if I'd like. Anyways, he said he would work to convince you to take him back, right? So, let's let him work. And while he does, Phoenix will have a little extra time to think, and we can see what his plan is. Then Phoenix can figure out what to do, based off of all that."

Nikki looked very pleased with herself. The rest of us were rather impressed. For having just woken up and forming her plan before/while taking a Hangover potion, it was surprisingly brilliant.

Lily sat up and spat a piece of hair out of her mouth before speaking. "I like it. I like Jay, but I don't like what he did to you. If he's willing to grovel, why not let him?" Lily gave a wicked little smirk, then said, "Personally, I think this could be interesting."

We all stared at her in shock. What happened to my sweet little angel? Then I told her, "You are _definitely_ my sister. I agree. I need time to think, and he's willing to give it to me, so why not?"

"I don't know. Isn't it a little mean? I mean, you are going to forgive him, right?" Rose asked.

I sighed. This was the question I had been hoping to avoid. "I'd really like to, but it's hard Rosie. What if he decides to do it again?"

"He said he learned his lesson though, didn't he?" Molly asked me, a bit timidly.

Lucy bumped her lightly with her foot. "True, but I don't think anyone thought he would have done something like this in the first place. It was all very out of character for Jay. Or so we think. I think Phoenix is just worried that she doesn't know him as well as she thinks she does, which is silly. Personally, I think Jay was just having a rough time with everything, and didn't know how to cope. But he's not going to do it again. I know he won't."

Lana stared at her for a moment before saying, "I think that you think too much. Can I get that Hangover potion?" Dom handed it to her, while Rose looked on disapprovingly. I smirked; momentarily distracted from my own problems by the fact that Lana needed the potion. I was starting to see why Freddy, troublemaker extraordinaire, was interested in her.

Shifting my train of thought back to my own problems, I told everyone. "I think we're going to go with Nikki's plan, for now." They nodded.

We then sat in an awkward silence for a few moments.

"So, who wants to have a real sleepover tonight?" Dom asked suddenly, breaking the quiet.

"Yes!" We all cheered.

* * *

That night, we were painting our nails when there was a tap at the window. Molly got it, pushing it open to allow an owl inside. The owl circled the room before dropping a letter in my lap. It flew out without waiting for a response. I unfolded the letter, which was really just a scrap of paper, and read:

 _One thing I love about you:_

 _The way you twirl your wand while you read._

I handed it off to Dom without a word.

"Sweet," She said simply, handing it to Molly. The rest of my family offered their varying opinions, which ranged from "Aw! That is SO sweet!" to "Yeah, you do that often". The note was then set on my nightstand, and we went back to painting our nails.

"So," Molly began very shyly, "Philip and I kissed."

"Oh my Merlin!"

"Where?"

"When?"

"Tell us everything!"

The letter wasn't mentioned again.

* * *

The next day I was in Madame Scamander's office when a roll of gauze fell from a shelf above me. The gauze had letters scrawled across it.

 _You know what I really love about you?_

 _You are such a little troublemaker, but you're also the biggest teacher's pet I know._

Professor McGonagall laughed at the note, but then cooed over how cute it was. Madame Scamander tore off the piece of gauze, slipping it in my pocket before putting away the roll.

* * *

The next day after Quidditch Practice, I was flying around the pitch when the Quaffle shot up out of the box.

For a moment I stared at it in shock, for I had helped put the balls away after practice ended and I knew that the Quaffle had been well locked up. Then it started to fall, and instinct kicked in. I dove forward, catching it in my arms. As I flew back towards the ground to put it up, I noticed odd grooves along the side of the ball.

I landed and pulled out my wand. " _Lumos_ ," I muttered.

The grooves on the side of the Quaffle spelt out words. I read:

 _Just another thing I love about you:_

 _The way you forget everything and just fly._

I carefully set the ball back into the box and took off again.

* * *

The day after that, as I was walking to Potions, a little Hufflepuff tugged on my sleeve.

"Yes?" I asked, grinning at her.

"Are you Phoenix Potter?" She asked me.

"Yes I am. And you are?"

"Ava Carter! This is for you," She said. She was adorable.

I took the napkin she handed me, smiling my thanks. The note written on the napkin read:

 _Another thing I love about you:_

 _Your aversion to anything strawberry flavored, but delight in anything with real strawberry._

I handed it to Roxy, who read it, grinned, and stuck it in my bag.

We continued on to Potions. I smiled through the whole lesson.

* * *

The next afternoon I was studying for my Charms OWL. I had about four books opened in front of me, to compare to my notes. I had made marks all over my notes, and was in the process of transferring my notes onto flashcards, which my Aunt Hermione had sent me.

"Phoenix, the Cheering charm incantation is…?"

"Hilaritate. The Cleansing charm does what?"

"Removes grime from the surface of skin, hair and teeth, and, if cast well, leaves a scent of the castors choice. The Calming charm does what?"

"Sooths the castor or whoever the castor spells. The Bubbling charm is classified as what?"

"A joke spell. It was invented by your Uncle George. Okay, let's go back to notes," Nikki said, reaching for her notebook.

I picked up a flashcard, getting ready to write on it when I noticed it was glowing. I turned it over to see that it was already written on.

 _You know what else I love about you?_

 _The way you get so utterly consumed by a book. You furrow your brow, twirl your wand, and purse your lips ever so slightly. You can't put the book down until you finish it._

I hummed the rest of the evening.

* * *

Dom and I were discussing Louis.

"I just think you're hurting him more than necessary with all of it. I get why you do it, but I still think that there's a better way to go about this," I told her.

"I know. I think I'm going to talk to him later. You help, you know. I don't feel so damn lonely all the time, and it helps to talk about it," She said seriously.

I smiled at her, "Love you Dommy."

She snorted. "Call me that again and you're dead. Love you too, my little Mandrake."

We both began to laugh at the mention of Roxy's new favorite saying. Suddenly a little mouse crawled onto Dom's bed.

"Mouse! Get if off, get it off! Ew, make it go away, make it go away! Ahhh!" Dom shrieked, all traces of laughter gone.

I laughed even harder. "Dom, it's just a little mouse, calm down."

I reached out to pick up the mouse. The moment my fingers touched it, the little creature turned into a music box. The box fit snugly in the palm of my hand.

When I opened it, my favorite song by the Weird Sisters started to play. It was the same song Jay and I had danced to on our first date. The song brought a grin to my face.

A necklace rested on top of a small piece of paper inside the box. I pulled out the necklace and smiled at the little broomstick hanging from the chain. The note underneath it said:

 _I love that you like older music, as well as the new songs._

I had Dom clasp the necklace for me, and I slid it under my shirt as I walked to my room, setting the music box down on my nightstand.

* * *

My matchbox in Transfiguration said:

 _I love that you take extra classes, regardless of what anyone else thinks._

I turned it into a glass on my first try. McGonagall was thrilled.

* * *

Coleen Creevey waltzed up to me in the hallway, handing me a photograph with a sweet smile.

The picture was taken on the Quidditch Pitch. I was stunned that such a simple picture could be so breathtaking, but it was.

A familiar pair of tanned hands held up a sign. Above the sign was an equally familiar white, toothy grin. Hogwarts' grounds sprawled in the background, vibrant green and sunny.

The sign read:

 _I love that you can do anything you put your mind to._

I framed the picture and set it on my bedside table, next to my music box.

* * *

On a Thursday night I was sitting in the library with James, Nikki, Don, Arnold, Ben, Jay and, our surprise study group member, Coleen.

I had started "helping" James with Charms after he confessed that he was failing. I started with first year lessons, and had slowly moved my way up to second year. Helping him with second year had been difficult at first; the only notes I had on second year were the ones I took while teaching myself, since I had skipped that year. Then our sessions had been joined by Nikki, who was quickly followed by the rest of the fifth years. We used the sessions as a review, since our OWLs would cover material from all of our years at Hogwarts so far.

Then our sessions had been joined by Coleen Creevey, much to our surprise. She had simply walked up, sat down, and asked if she could study with us. She was surprisingly intelligent, and I enjoyed reviewing with her.

Occasionally she would start to talk and James would simply stop to stare at her. At first I would give him a good slap on the back of the head and tell him to pay attention, but soon it became apparent that he was doing just that, for he could quote Coleen almost for word after she finished speaking. Ben thought it was adorable, and called it "true love". I watched James come back to the Common Room each night with lipstick stains on his shirt collars from various Gigglers and called it "forbidden".

And so, as I was trying to bring James from one of his Coleen-induced trances and Ben was trying to do everything in his power to stop me, Jay simply reached across the table and handed me a piece of paper.

 _I love that you would do anything to protect the people you care about._

I smiled at him, then turned back to my work.

Ben cheered, which unfortunately brought Madame Pince down on us. The woman was almost deaf with age, but if she were close enough to hear you she would come down on you faster than Uncle Ron on Grandmum's sausages. She promptly threw us out of the library, so we decided to continue our session in the kitchens.

The House Elves were thrilled.

* * *

Late one night in the Common Room it began snowing in my lap. The snow formed the words:

 _I love when you spend all day playing in the snow, and you come inside with a bright pink nose and bright pink cheeks, one of your Grandmum's homemade hats sitting proudly atop your head._

I made a little snowball and tossed it into Jay's lap.

* * *

My plate at breakfast bore tiny chocolate words. The beautiful swirling cursive spelled out:

 _I love that you have an endless supply of random facts._

"You really do, it's funny. Like when you told Yeren, you know the girl from my dorm who you told off for Alice and me, that a group of hyenas is called a cackle. That was funny!" Lily giggled. I smirked at her.

"Yeah it was. Hey, did you know that a lot of wands are made of the type of wood that corresponds with their owner's birthday on the Celtic calendar? Aunt Hermione's does, Uncle Ron's does, Dad's does too, as does mine. Also, the Elder Wand is associated with death, right? Well on the Celtic calendar, the Elder Moon contains the darkest days if the year, and is associated with death and the underworld. As is elder wood, for that matter," I said thoughtfully.

Lily laughed, reaching across the table to dip some bread into my chocolate.

* * *

Freddy and I had decided to prank the school in honor of Yule. We went on break in about a week, so we wanted to get everyone in the spirit of things. We had also agreed that this would be our last big prank before OWLs, since I would need to study whenever I got the chance after the break.

We went down to the kitchens, where we sweet-talked the House Elves into putting a little magical food coloring into the food, making it all red, green, and a lovely snowy white. Then we snuck into the Great Hall, where we hung mistletoe from the ceiling. We also enchanted it to snow (the snow would disappear if it came into contact with food or drinks though; we didn't want to ruin breakfast), and hung up garland and streamers. We enchanted everlasting icicles to grow from the ceiling, and we charmed the doors to look like ice.

Hagrid agreed to help us move the Christmas trees and tables for the last part of our prank. We arranged the trees in a circle around the room.

In the center of the circle we placed all of the tables, and we enchanted them so that two people from the same house were unable to sit side-by-side. Inter-house cooperation (and probably wide-spread outrage). Our Christmas gift to Professor McGonagall.

We had Hagrid place the Head table at the end of all of the House tables, so that they could stop any fights that broke out.

Just as we were leaving, I got an owl. The note it carried said:

 _I love your laugh._

* * *

The next morning Fred and I arrived early to breakfast. We roped off the tables and waited patiently until we had a large crowd gathered.

"Good morning all!" Fred said cheerily. Silence fell quickly.

"We hope you enjoy our Yule decorations!" I beamed as we earned a round of applause.

"Now, hopefully you don't hate us too much for the next part of this-"

"But, in order to create inter-house cooperation-"

"We have enchanted the seats-"

"To stop house members from sitting directly next to each other."

Whispers broke out, and a few people shouted unhappily.

"Oi! Calm down now," Fred bellowed over the outcry.

"Think of it as an opportunity!" I yelled.

"You can make new friends-"

"Sit by your friends in other houses-"

"Annoy your least favorite people from other houses-"

"Sit by your crush-"

"Sit by your sibling's crush-"

"And, we only made it so you couldn't sit side-by-side-"

"So you can always sit across from your best mate."

This calmed people down a bit. A few of second year girls started giggling, and a seventh year Ravenclaw wore a smirk I could be proud of. Fred and I removed the ropes, and people slowly started sitting down. A few people tried to break the rules, and found themselves sitting on the floor in a heap of snow, which had people laughing hysterically. Fred and I grinned at each other before turning to face McGonagall, who was standing off to our left looking rather pleased.

"Merry Christmas Minnie!" We chorused happily, using a nickname Uncle Charlie had teasingly called her once.

To our surprise, she didn't so much as frown at us. "Merry Christmas Mr. Weasley, Miss Potter," She said, offering us a small smile before moving towards the Head table. Adding to our surprise, she moved right past her usual seat and instead sat down next to Madame Scamander, near the end of the table. Fred was grinning like she had given him his greatest Christmas gift, while I was laughing. I had gotten to know Professor McGonagall rather well since the attack, but I hadn't been expecting her to react like she had in front of all of her students.

Smiling at each other, Fred and I moved down the tables until we came across Coleen and James sitting side-by-side. I sat down next to Coleen, while Fred took the seat across from me. Fred was careful to stay in the area we had designated as "one seat", for Al was sitting across from James and neither wanted to be dumped into snow for encroaching on the seat between them. Ben came to sit next to me a while later and Don quickly claimed the seat next to him. Both grinned at Fred and I before beginning a very serious conversation on chess, which would most likely end with them snogging.

I smiled as the little Hufflepuff who had brought me my fourth letter from Jay, Ava Carter, asked (very shyly, with a rather dark blush) if she could sit next to Al. He spent the entire meal grinning at her as Ava talked to him about Hippogriffs. Al was a bit of a Care of Magical Creatures nut, something that had surprised all of the parents (since they had apparently dropped the class, despite Hagrid being the teacher), but something Uncle Charlie and Hagrid both loved.

I was just preparing to leave when Jay walked past me, leaning down to whisper in my ear, "I love the way you try to help everyone accept each other."

* * *

The letters continued over the break.

 _I love the thing you do with your hair to keep it out of your face._

 _I love the way you crinkle your nose when you're grossed out._

 _I love that you wear your homemade sweaters everywhere during winter._

 _I love that you are good friends with the House Elves._

 _I love that your favorite color is literally "Quidditch Pitch grass green"._

 _I love that you smell like so many different things; cinnamon, mint, rosemary, sage, broomstick polish, grass, pine, and vanilla._

* * *

On Christmas Eve the entire family spent the night at the Burrow, per tradition. All of the kids (or perhaps next generation, as Vic and Teddy couldn't really be classified as "kids" anymore) snuck into a room together, per tradition, and we were woken by Uncle Ron shouting, per tradition. We opened our presents together, and everyone put on their new initialed sweaters.

We then went to breakfast, where everyone broke into separate conversations. Fred was thanking Uncle Charlie repeatedly for his new leather jacket and book on dragons, Uncle Percy was actually having a normal conversation with my Dad, Grandmum was talking to Aunt Hermione and Aunt Penny about her pie recipe, Dom and Roxy were cooing over my newest letter from Jay ( _I love how pretty you look at any given point and time_ ), and Uncle Ron was having what looked to be a very engaging debate with a sausage that was just a bit too large for his mouth. Suddenly, Molly stood up, looking very nervous.

"Um, I have something I'd like to say," She said, her voice shaking.

Silence fell.

"I…Um…I'm dating a bloke from Slytherin!" She blurted, looking rather faint.

The silence continued, broken only by Uncle Ron choking on his sausage.

Then a very quiet voice came from the end of the table.

"Me too," Hugo whispered.

…

"WHAT?" Uncle Ron screamed.

* * *

Uncle Ron wanted to go home after that. It took him an hour of arguing with Aunt Hermione to tell his son that he accepted him, he respected his decision, and he loved him. The rest of the family spent the hour of waiting reassuring Hugo. Molly kissed him on both cheeks, and Roxy gushed over the boy he was dating, a fellow second year named Mike Fess, telling Hugo that they were a "super adorable couple". Rose sat next to Hugo, wrapping both her arms around his waist and putting her head on his shoulder. Uncle Percy gave him odd looks for a while, but that ended when Aunt Fleur grabbed him by his ear and drug him to the front yard, where she proceeded to yell at him in French. Apparently Uncle Percy spoke French, for he came back inside a while later looking suitably shamed, and offered Hugo a handshake (he always was an awkward one).

Uncle Percy also avoided talking to Molly for the rest of the evening.

Grandmum convinced everyone to stay until dinner when she started crying as Uncle Ron tried to leave. She went on and on about "traditions" and how she "only got all of us together a few times a year". Everyone immediately apologized, rushing about to get her tea and telling her that they wouldn't be leaving until late tonight.

She calmed down miraculously quickly after that. And I had wondered where I got my Slytherin qualities from…

The night ended much the same as every other Christmas, with laughter and cheer. We all knew Uncle Ron would most likely be speaking with Hugo tomorrow, as would Uncle Percy with Molly, but for the day all secrets were forgiven and forgotten.

Our family knew that it was best to spill secrets on Grandmum's "sacred family days".

* * *

 _I love your temper; you're adorable when you're ticked off…at anyone but me._

 _I love your eyes._

 _I love that you still get excited to talk to my parents._

 _I love that you take your tea with exactly one spoonful of sugar, regardless of the size of the spoon._

 _I love that you wear you Muggle "converse"._

 _I love your sense of humor._

The letters continued to come every day of the break.

* * *

After the break, we went back to school to discover that we had been dubbed "the Clan" by the rest of our classmates. Apparently, calling us "the Weasley and Potter Clan, plus friends and various boyfriends/girlfriends" got a bit tiring. The boys thought it was cool, like we were "part of a gang", while we girls thought it was rather silly. Why did the rest of the school have to refer to us by something at all?

It was our parents that were famous, not us.

The day after we came back to school, the "Clan girls" had another sleepover.

We stole blankets and pillows from all of the beds in our dorm, as well as some from the other dorms, and made a big pile in the center of the room. Roxy called it our Mandrake Pot, since apparently everything now needed an official name.

We spent the first half hour of the night trying to convince Rosie to play truth or dare. She finally agreed after we decided not to use Firewhiskey when someone bowed out, but punch that had only the slightest amount of alcohol in it. I was honestly a bit glad that she hadn't let us use Firewhiskey; I had discovered that I was a bit of a lightweight when I drank after the Quidditch Match.

"Okay, I'll go first!" Dom cried. She was the oldest, so we let her go. "Lily, truth or dare?"

Lily grinned. "Dare, but first, I want to suggest a rule change."

We were all interested. We hadn't changed the rules since Dom, Molly and Vic were the only female grandchildren, playing with apple juice in the backyard.

"I suggest that every time someone completes a particularly bad dare, everyone else has to drink," Lily said with a smirk.

We all looked at each other, then at our little shot glasses. Dom looked from person to person for confirmation, and even Rose nodded. Coleen, who we had snuck in before curfew, gave Lily big thumbs up and a smile.

"Alright, deal. Now, I dare you to…kiss Alice," Dom said, grinning widely. "It can be the first "particularly bad dare"."

Lily's smirk merely grew. My 'angel' was definitely changed. "Well I don't think kissing Ali will be _that_ bad, but if you say so."

And with that, Lily leaned over and kissed Alice.

We drank.

* * *

"So, so then he says, what next? And I'm like, well first you should probably pick up the bat!" Nikki laughed, tears streaming down her face. We all laughed, half at her story and half at Nikki herself, who had about three times as much punch as the rest of us.

"Nik, take a nap love," I chuckled, tossing a pillow at her.

"Okayyyy!" She giggled, falling back into the mass of pillows and blankets with a snore.

We doubled over, laughing hysterically.

"So Phoenix, are you and Jay going to get back together?" Lana asked me after we had calmed back down.

I paused, fingering the necklace beneath my shirt. "Yeah, I think we are."

Instantly the room was filled with squeals and a loud snore from Nikki.

"Finally!" Roxy cheered. "Let's go down and see if he's still up!"

"Roxy, it's midnight, there's no way he's still up," Lucy said.

"You never know, he has OWLs soon," Dom said thoughtfully.

"Let's go!" A voice whispered from behind us. We shrieked loudly, stunned by the creepy voice, and whirled around to see Nikki sitting on Lana's bed.

"How-what?" Rose asked, eyes wide. Molly merely shook her head.

"She's a creepy drunk."

"No kidding."

"Can she sleep in the Common Room tonight?"

"Let's go see who's still up."

"You got it."

So, dragging Nikki, who had decided to go back to sleep, and giggling, we headed down to the Common Room.

To the girls' delight, Jay was among the few people still sitting in the Common Room.

There was an outbreak of giggles. I was suddenly very nervous.

"Shh…go Phoenix!" Roxy whispered, giving me a shove.

I tried to glare at her and ended up tripping over my own feet. I landed all but on top of Jay, who was startled, to say the least.

"Um, sorry," I mumbled, trying to ignore the giggles from behind me.

"It's okay," Jay said, glancing curiously at the girls before returning his gaze to me.

"Jay, I just want to say that I forgive you. I should have done it a long time ago, but I'm doing it now so…" I told him. He took a moment to process what I had said, then stood up with a grin.

"Oh good, Phoenix I have something to tell you, but first wait right here for a minute, okay?" Jay said, springing up off the couch and running off before I could respond.

"O-kay…" I muttered, still staring at the spot on the couch where he had just been sitting.

To my confusion, the male members of "the Clan" (the Gryffindor members, at least) came stumbling down the stairs, half asleep and looking rather confused. Then Al came rushing down, pushing his way to Freddy. Al quickly leaned up to whisper into Fred's ear and Fred, suddenly looking much more awake, sent me a quick smirk before whispering something to James.

Within a few minutes, the entire group of boys was wide-awake and smirking.

We faced off for a few awkward moments.

"Arny's in his undies!" Nikki squealed suddenly. There was another outbreak of giggles, myself included now that I wasn't the one being laughed at.

Arnold, in a grand show of Gryffindor pride, didn't so much as flinch.

We were still giggling, ignoring the curious looks from the boys, when Jay came back down, his hands clasped behind his back. The few other Gryffindors in the Common Room looked torn between being irritated and being curious.

"Phoenix Annette Potter!" Jay said loudly.

I stopped giggling quickly. "Yes, Jay Alexander Wood?"

He didn't even flinch at my use of his middle name. "For the last few months I have been telling you something I love about you every single day. As it is now 12:08, I would like to tell you today's thing."

"Okay?" I said, wondering where this was going.

Jay pulled his hands out from behind his back to reveal a bouquet of gorgeous orchids. He came to stand in front of me, so close I had to crane my neck to look at his face.

"Phoenix, I love everything about you like my father loves Quidditch."

There were a bunch of 'awes' from behind me. Jay offered me the flowers, and I took them from him.

"Jay."

"Yes Phoenix?"

"I believe you have something you want to ask me?"

"I-what?"

Dom sighed loudly from behind us. "Ask her out you idiot!"

Jay turned very red. "Oh, yeah should have figured that one out yeah?"

I grinned at him.

"Phoenix Annette Potter, would you do me the honor of becoming my girlfriend-again?"

"Hmm…" I said, rubbing my chin thoughtfully. Jay paled slightly. "Um, was that even a real question? Duh!"

And with that, I jumped up, wrapped my arms around his neck, and snogged him thoroughly.

Coleen's camera flashed from behind us.

* * *

 **I DON'T BLAME YOU IF YOU DON'T WANT TO READ ALL OF THIS, but for anyone who is wondering, Phoenix's wand is willow with a phoenix feather/fairy wing core. Fairy wing core wands are known for being the absolute best for Charms. They also belong to almost half of known witches and wizards with the Sight, and, while Phoenix doesn't have the Sight per say, she does have her "bad feelings", so this seemed appropriate for her. However, despite their power in Charms, fairy wing cores are average in Defense Against the Dark Arts and Transfiguration, and are said to often completely fail at hexes. A phoenix feather's main strength is Defense Against the Dark Arts, which makes up for the fairy wing's lackluster skill in DADA. It can also be rather good at hexes and jinxes, so it solves that problem as well. And Phoenix takes extra Transfiguration classes, so she has earned herself an acceptable amount of skill in that class too. Her wand is flexible, which is also known to mean skill in Charms. It is 9 inches long. While short wands are sometimes associated with weak-minded people, wands also correspond to their owner's height, and Phoenix is rather short, so I found this appropriate. Also, as George said, size is no guarantee of power, something I can confirm as your 5'1 tall author ; )**

 **Also, Phoenix's birthday is March 9** **th** **.**

 **Aaaand we finally learn Hugo's secret! I don't think his being gay was that hard to figure out, but I felt like, especially with Ron being his father, he would have a hard time coming out with it. But I also felt like he would have a hard time keeping it a secret. And a Slytherin boyfriend! I couldn't resist.**

 **Aha, the Clan. I just really needed a name for their family. I honestly laughed about calling them "the Clan" though.**

 **Also, just in case you were wondering, the reason why alcohol was never used during truth or dare in the past was because Vic was the oldest, and she didn't allow it. They drank Butterbeer instead. Now however, Dom's the oldest (at Hogwarts), and she allows it because it's something that everyone would expect her to do.**

 **Oh my gosh! I got two reviews last chapter, you guys are awesome! Thank you so much!**

Son of Whitebeard **: Haha I suppose, thank you so much for reviewing! (Again!)**

scrumptiousinternetllama **: Thank you so much! I'm really glad you're enjoying this story; hopefully you continue to do so. The amount of research an author puts into their work is always really obvious, so I try hard to put lots into mine; it's nice to know that it shows! I really appreciate your review, so thank you again!**

 **And a big thank you to you, for reading, reviewing, favoriting, and following!**

 **Xoxo, IfIOnlyWereAWeasley**


	15. The Truth: A Beautiful & Terrible Thing

**Author's Note: I am so sorry this has taken so long! My schedule is getting busier all the time, so please bear with me! I promise not to abandon this.**

 **I don't own Harry Potter; if I did I would write a Marauders series.**

* * *

 **The Truth: A Terrible And Beautiful Thing**

* * *

"You still have detention?" Jay asked me. I pouted at him.

"Yes! I have it all year! For being out after hours _once_! It's just my luck that I'd happen to be out during an attack," I whinged.

Jay turned to face me. We were walking around the lake, and he was holding my left hand in his right. After our break-up we were trying to spend as much time together as we could. Most of it was spent studying, but occasionally Jay and I would sneak away from Don (who James was now calling Herm-Don, because he was as much of a tyrant as my Aunt Hermione when it came to grades), and go for walks around the grounds. Once, Jay had the Elves prepare a picnic basket and we tested our Gryffindor by eating under the Whomping Willow. We nearly died a few times, when the charm that froze the tree wore off sooner than we expected, but it was good fun.

"Yeah, you're a bit like your Dad when it comes to luck," He said with grin. He reached his free hand up to brush a stray piece of hair from my face. "So, are you ever going to tell me what happened that night?"

He asked the question gently; I knew there was no pressure on me to answer, but his words still sent a twisting guilt to my gut.

"I hid from them until the attack was over. They were terrifying Jay. You could _feel_ the power those things had. I had the most awful feeling the whole time," I muttered, shuddering at the memory. I suspected that Jay knew I wasn't telling him the whole truth (I knew Fred did), but he didn't say a thing about it. Instead, he pulled me to his chest and stroked my hair.

"I'm sorry Love," He whispered, kissing the side of my head.

"It's okay," I said, just as softly.

We stood peacefully for a while. The air was brisk, but Jay and I had bundled up, and we were close enough to each other that we were warm.

Snow was nearly absent from the grounds, and spring was slowly dawning. Tiny green shoots peeked at us between patches of snow. The trees were covered in tiny leaves, just beginning to unfurl, and pale pink buds. Flowers struggled to open. The entire world was slowly awakening, and it was simply beautiful.

I sighed.

"You have to go, don't you?" Jay mumbled into my hair.

"Unfortunately," I moaned. His arms tightened around me slightly, then he let me go.

"I'll walk you," Jay decided, turning towards the castle and tugging lightly on my hand. I smiled at him, and we walked hand-in-hand to the Hospital Wing.

Jay opened the door for me. "Have fun," He teased. I pulled a face at him before walking inside, his laugher still echoing behind me.

I grinned upon seeing the empty wing. Madame Scamander came to help us research when she didn't have patients. I rushed across the room; half fearing a student would enter before I reached Madame Scamander's office.

I yanked open the door, my smile broadening at the sight before me.

Madame Scamander stood atop her desk, a thoughtful look upon her face. Professor McGonagall sat below her, staring at a chair. Books were scattered all around the office, on shelves, chairs, the floor, the desk, and any other flat surface. A few other objects peeked over the covers, like Madame Scamander's "Crumple-Horned Snortack spike", which was actually an Egyptian _pesesh-kaf_.

"Hello Minnie!" I said cheerfully. "Hello Madame Scamander. I'd go with bright green. Then you won't keep loosing it."

Madame Scamander smiled, and Professor McGonagall sighed before nodding. McGonagall waved her wand and the chair grew a radiant green.

"You know, I think Madame Scamander is a bit formal. You can just call me Luna," Madame Scamander said as she hopped off of the desk. McGonagall and I stared at the spot she had just occupied, which was covered completely in books and looked as though a feather would send its contents tumbling to the ground below.

I nodded, reaching for the book I had been reading last. I opened it as I sat, pulling my notebook towards me, and began reading.

 _Slaves were typically captured during war._

I rolled my eyes as I wrote, yet again, that slaves were enemy soldiers from war. This had been in nearly every book I had read so far, yet Scamander had me write notes on each book as though it were the first book I had read on the subject.

The alarm Madame Scamander had on the door to the Hospital Wing went off, telling her she had a patient. She sighed before getting up and walking out.

"Phoenix, I think we're on to something with this one," Professor McGonagall told me a short while later, holding up another book. I scooted over to read the page she was pointing at.

"What, the process of mummification? Interesting, but somehow I doubt knowing that mummies have their brains pulled out of their noses is going to be helpful," I said.

She hit me lightly on the back of my head. "Not that page, this one."

I read the other page quickly. "Slave rebellion was typically lead by the strongest, both magically and mentally. Slaves were known to be branded simultaneously, and the rebellion of one slave lead to the freedom to rebel for all. It is believed that, had the Egyptian empire remained intact for longer, the Egyptians would have found a way to solve this problem. Unfortunately, Egypt fell before the spell could be created, but it is believed that advancements toward a solution could be found if one knew where to look."

"Luna thinks that she found the beginnings to that spell, remember?" McGonagall asked. "What if Hastings found it too? If he could figure out how to create the _Ker_ , surely he could finish that spell."

I stared at her with slight horror. "So…you mean that one of us may be able to rebel, but the other two might be forced to work for Hastings?"

We had been betting on at least one of us being able to rebel and free the others.

"Child, I'm saying that, should Hastings create a thousand slaves, he may very well end up with a thousand mindless slaves."

Oh.

* * *

"Lana, who are you staring at?" Roxy asked suddenly.

Lana jumped, dropping her fork into her lap. She blushed, picking up the utensil and wiping it off. "No one. I was just thinking," She told Roxy firmly.

"Mhmm. Sure you were," Roxy said with a knowing grin.

Lana turned a few shades darker, ducking her head so her hair covered her face.

A few seats down, Fred looked on. He looked slightly apprehensive, as well as a bit sad.

I vowed to find out who Lana was staring at.

* * *

"Have fun in Potions."

"Shut up Jay."

"Hey, that's not very nice. I was just wishing you well."

I grinned up at my boyfriend. "Well then, thank you."

"No problem. Happy Valentines Day baby," Jay said, kissing me on the forehead.

I smiled back at him, then walked into the classroom.

Professor Slughorn stood before the class with a proud smile.

"Today I have a special treat for you all! Each year I let the seventh years make a Love potion on Valentines Day. You are the lucky class of the day, for you have Potions just after my NEWT class. Today we will spend a few minutes looking at the Amortentia they created, then you may create a simple Bruise Removal Paste, and we will call it a day!" Slughorn's grin broadened as the class cheered.

I looked at the little pot on the desk. Roxy leaned in and took at deep breath.

"It smells like Dalton," She laughed.

"I can't believe you two are still dating!" I told her.

"Well I can. They're so adorable. True love!" Lucy said from across the table.

"Yeah whatever. So Lana, what do you smell?" I asked.

Lana sniffed, then blushed furiously. "Nothing."

"Liar, liar pants on fire!" Roxy sang. "Come on little Mandrake, don't you want to tell us?"

Lana got impossibly redder. "What do you smell Phoenix?"

I rolled my eyes at the less-than-subtle change in subject, but leaned in to smell the potion anyways.

"Erm, the Quidditch Pitch, rain, broomstick polish, some sort of soap, maybe something lemon? And the Burrow," I said.

"Hmm, lemons. I do wonder who could possibly use lemon soap," Roxy said thoughtfully.

"Shut up Rox. Lucy, what do you smell?"

"Books, the Burrow, and spring," She said, smiling.

"Spring?" Roxy said, looking confused.

"Yeah, you know, flowers, sunshine, rain, and lots of new growth?"

"Yes, but how do those things have a smell?"

"I don't know, they just do."

Across the table from me, Lana took another sniff. A small smile graced her face.

* * *

"And then he picked it up by its tail! I couldn't believe it! The poor little thing looked so sad!" Ava Carter exclaimed.

Al was sat sideways in his seat, facing her and looking just as outraged as she. They were discussing Golden Snidgets, which had everyone confused save Jay and I (and we only knew what they were because they were used as Snitches before Snitches were invented). We had learned that our new favorite Hufflepuff was extremely gifted in Care of Magical Creatures, and she and Al had spent long hours talking about dragons and bowtruckles. James said it was weird, but I thought they got along like a house on fire.

I grinned at them before leaning inconspicuously against Jay. Or at least, I thought it was inconspicuous.

"Did you just smell me?" Jay looked at me with wide eyes.

"Erm…no."

Lucy and Lana cracked up.

"What does he smell like Phoe?" Lucy laughed out.

"Maybe…" Lana started, looking at Lucy.

"Lemons?" Both girls shouted, then dissolved into hysterical laughter.

"What?" Jay asked me.

"We looked over Amortentia in potions yesterday," I muttered, ducking my head.

"And you smelt…?"

"Lemons, the Pitch, broom polish, rain and my Grandmum's house," I mumbled.

He laughed. "So you smelled me because…?"

"You smell like the first three things I listed," I said, still staring at my shoes.

He pulled my face towards his, "Good."

"You don't think it's weird?"

He got an odd, lopsided grin. "That you smell me in Love potion? No, definitely not. Doesn't bother me a bit. Silly."

I couldn't help but smile. He grinned back, then kissed me.

"Hello Hughie!" James shouted suddenly.

We glanced towards the Common Room entrance to see a blushing Hugo with his boyfriend-Mike Fess-walking into the room. The entire Common Room was staring at them, thanks to James' yell, and both looked rather uncomfortable.

Lily grinned, hopping up to grab Hugo's hand and pulling him towards our spot in the Common Room. Both boys relaxed upon seeing Coleen, who was helping James study, Ava with Al, Dalton sitting with Rox, and Ben sitting with Don.

Dom nudged Molly.

"Hey, aren't you our resident Prefect? Shouldn't you be running all of them out of here?" Dom asked her jokingly.

"Meh. Inter-house cooperation," Molly said, not looking away from her own Slytherin.

Louis looked at Dom. "Shouldn't you have your own guy over here?" He asked cautiously.

"Nope. You're the only bloke I need," She said simply, standing up and going to sit next to her brother.

James snorted.

We all looked at him.

"Sorry, but how long is that supposed to last?" He laughed.

I went to get up, but Jay wrapped his arm around my waist, snapping his hand over my mouth before I could get the attention of the entire Common Room.

"Well, it's lasted since the day after our last Quidditch Match. I'd say several months is a good start," Dom said calmly.

"No, there was…" Fred trailed off.

"Last month, what about…" Rose looked confused.

"Um, how about…no…" Nikki seemed surprised, then she leaned across Don to high-five Dom.

"Uh…sorry Dom," James blushed.

"It's fine. What I'm wondering is, how long is this supposed to last?" Dom asked, gesturing towards James and Coleen.

This time, I was the one who laughed.

"Oh, we aren't dating. I'm not interested in becoming one of his-what do you call them Phoenix, Gigglers?" Coleen asked me. I nodded. "Yes, Gigglers. We're just studying, or rather, I'm studying and James is staring at me. He does fine though, so I'd assume this is helping in some way."

"I can't breathe!" I choked out. Jay shook his head at me, while I continued to laugh. I was crying from laughing so hard, and I'm sure my face was the color of my hair.

"Be nice," Jay told me. I struggled to stop laughing.

I turned back to the conversation to see Dom nod. Coleen went back to her book.

"Aw, I missed it!" I whinged. Jay chuckled.

Roxy jumped up suddenly, rushing over to sit next to me.

"'Lo Roxy, come up for air have we?" I teased.

"Oh hush. Look, without Al or even Louis, Rose and Scorpius have to actually get along!" Rox cackled, more than a bit evilly. I followed her gaze to see Scorp and Rosie sitting awkwardly.

"So," I heard Scorp say, "You did well in Potions today."

"I just avoided blowing up my potion. You and Al could probably manage if you quit messing around all period!" Rose snapped. Then her face softened a bit. "Though, you did do well in Defense today. That was a really tricky spell. I still don't have it quite right," She admitted.

"Thanks. I could help you, if you'd like," Scorpius offered.

"I'm fine! I don't need your help," Rose snapped, though it seemed to be on instinct, for she looked a bit guilty afterwards.

"Alright. Well, if you change your mind, you're flicking your wrist too hard to the right," Scorpius said. Rose looked surprised, but she wasted no time rushing up towards her dorm to "use the bathroom".

"Merlin," I said, looking at Roxy with wide eyes.

"I know. Crazy right? Poor little Mandrakes," She laughed. Then she hopped up, rushing back over to sit next to Dalton.

"You lot are nothing but a bunch of gossips," Jay grinned at me.

"Hey, we're a Clan, and you're a part of it," I told him, smiling back.

"Why thank you. I'm quite honored Miss Potter."

"Oh, you're only a part of the Clan because the rest of the school has deemed you so Mr. Alexander," I said, faking embarrassment.

"Oh, is that so?" Jay asked.

"I'm afraid so," I told him, patting his arm in mock consolation.

Jay got an evil smirk, and before I could react he started tickling me.

"Jay! Jay stop!" I squealed, laughing hysterically. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Dom start tickling Louis, who rolled away and fell on James.

"Ha! Dog pile on _Sirius_!" Al yelled, leaping on top of our brother and cousin.

Jay stopped tickling me and looked over to where Don, Arnold, Nikki and Ben were sitting. He and Don exchanged gazes, while I tried to scoot away from him.

Suddenly, Don and Jay lunged for Nikki and I, picking us up and throwing us on top of the dog-pile.

Then they sat on us.

"Jay Alexander Wood!" I screamed.

"Donald Michael Thomas!" Nikki yelled in outrage.

"You two are so dead!" I wailed.

Both boys laughed hysterically.

"Hey! Do you lot mind? Some of us are trying to work here!" Someone yelled.

"Yeah, hush up, some of us are trying to work," Coleen giggled from somewhere to my right.

James groaned from somewhere deep within the pile, and then we were falling towards Coleen.

Coleen squealed as we all tumbled into her lap.

"Hey, hush up Coleen," James mocked with a grin.

* * *

"Lana," I murmured, trying to deepen my voice. Behind me, Roxy and Lucy struggled to contain their laughter.

Lana let out a loud snore.

I snorted into my hand.

"Let me try," Roxy whispered. "Lana, I love you baby." She said, pulling off a manly voice with practically no effort at all. In fact, it sounded suspiciously like Freddy…

Lana smiled a little.

Lucy and I were staring at Roxy in shock.

"What? When we were little I used to get Fred in trouble a lot like that," Roxy said with a grin. She cleared her throat. "Lana baby, don't you love me too?"

In response, Lana sneezed before blinking blearily at us.

I threw down a dungbomb. "Run!" I squealed.

"Phoenix!" Roxy wailed as we rushed from our dorm. "I thought you said we would get to go back to sleep after that!"

"I said I was going back to sleep!" I told her. "You lot can have at the couch though."

I ran up the stairs to the boys' dorms, laughing hysterically. I quieted as I snuck into the fourth year dorm, creeping my way through the room until I could crawl into Fred's bed.

"What-oh hey Nix. Why do you smell like dungbombs?" Fred asked me, blinking sleepily.

"Long story. Night Freddy."

"It's six...in the morning. But good night Nix."

* * *

"Boogie like a unicorn!" Nikki sang into a brush.

"No stoppin' till the break of dawn," Lucy joined in.

"Put your hands up in the air!" Dom shouted.

"Like an ogre, who just don't care!" They yelled.

I caved, joining in for the course.

"Oh! Can you dance like a hippogriff? Na na na!" We chorused.

The door to Dom's dorm opened with a bang, and we turned around to see Roxy standing there, tears pouring down her face. Behind her stood most of the other girls, looking bewildered.

"Rox!" I exclaimed, rushing towards her. "What's the matter?"

She sniffled. "Dalton's c-cheating on me!"

There was a mixture of gasps and curses.

"What? No! That idiot! How did you find out?" I asked her.

"I saw him!" Roxy sobbed, hiccupping.

I tugged her towards a bed, the other's following. Dom called Squeak, one of our favorite House Elves, and asked her for some tea and tissues.

Roxy cried for a long time. When she finally fell asleep, I snuck down to the Common Room to tell the boys, who were sitting around discussing what could have possibly upset Roxy so much, what had happened.

Fred and I stayed up late planning _just_ what to do to his sister's cheating ex boyfriend.

For the first time, I understood why my grandfather and his friends pulled pranks that could be considered "cruel".

* * *

When Roxy woke up, we were all sitting around her.

"Morning little Mandrake," I whispered, trying for a smile.

She just looked miserable, rolling over and burying her face under Dom's pillows.

"Please tell me you two plan on hurting him," Dom said angrily, looking at me.

"Oh, don't worry. We have something _very_ special planned for him," I said wickedly.

"Don't get expelled," Rose told me.

"No fears Rosie. They can't expel us if they can't catch us."

I would just have to make sure McGonagall never asked me about it.

* * *

"I solemnly swear that I'm up to no good," I muttered.

Fred, James, Al, Lily and I scanned the empty halls.

"Excellent. Let's go," James muttered.

James threw the cloak over Lily and I. I was irritated at having to use the cloak, but we had agreed that it would be best if I didn't get caught out after hours. After all, I wasn't actually in trouble (not that they knew it), but I could very well be if McGonagall knew about this.

"Everyone have their tie?" Fred asked.

We all checked our wrists, nodding.

"Great job on these Phoe," Lily said.

I grinned at them. We were all wearing matching ties around our wrists. They were thin straps of leather, which could only be removed by us. I had created them as a warning system. They were modeled after the Galleons Dad had used for the DA. Whoever had the map could use them to warn the others if they were about to be caught out of hours. They could warn everyone wearing one all at once, or they could warn specific wearers. We were trying to spell the map to warn anyone wearing a bracelet by itself, but we hadn't quite managed it, so we were having to do it by hand. While making them I had also added a shield charm, a few healing charms, a cheering charm (which would kick in if its wearer was feeling extremely upset), and a charm that would tell everyone wearing a bracelet if any of the other wearers were severely injured. We hadn't found the spell that my Aunt Hermione had used to allow them to send messages yet, but we were still looking. If we couldn't find it in another week, Hugo was going to owl his mum and ask her for us.

Several of the charms had been very difficult, so I was very proud of how well the ties were coming. I was making some for the rest of the Clan, but so far I had only given one to my siblings (excluding Teddy, of course) and Fred. I was planning on adding some extra features (such as adding a buzzer for when you wanted to speak with another Clan member, but couldn't find them to let them know). Fred was also trying to help me add a few emergency pranks, like a little bit of Instant Darkness powder, but it was proving to be nearly impossible. The ties were so thin there was almost nowhere to store the pranks, so, while they would be useful, we weren't sure if they were going to happen.

"Yeah, these are wicked," Al said, turning his round his wrist. Al had insisted that I made the ties "gender friendly", which is why they were so simple. Lily had been trying to convince me to let her weave thick bracelets with our names in them, but the boys hadn't taken to the idea. She had been mollified when I told her that our ties would match anything, while her bracelets would've had to be very simple to do the same.

I had made the ties with one extra feature, one that I hadn't told the others about yet. It was a charm to let all wearers know when another wearer wasn't acting under their own power. I planned to tell the others that it was just in case someone was put under the Imperious, but it was more for my peace of mind than anything. I had found this charm in some of Madame Scamander's notes, and it would cover any spell or potion. So Veritaserum, Love Potions, the Imperious, or even a Memory charm would be detected. I was hoping that the charm would also detect Minister Hastings' slave spell, so they would know when I wasn't in control of my actions.

"Okay, we'll take the seventh and sixth floors, Al will take the fifth, Freddy will take the fourth and third, and James will take the second and first," I told everyone. They all nodded. James, Al, and Fred disillusioned themselves, and we set off.

Lily and I carefully charmed the doorways, the chairs, the stairs, and the windows. Then we snuck, giggling, into the boy's bathroom, where we charmed the toilets. The charms had been very difficult to learn, so I was incredibly impressed that my second-year sister had learned them.

We did both of our floors, being careful not to miss a single thing. We had to hide several times as our ties started to burn, but we didn't get caught.

Finally, we snuck back to our Common Room, laughing hysterically. James and Fred quickly followed, but Al took much longer. It was nearly morning when he finally appeared. We had been extremely worried, even though he hadn't burnt our bracelets to let us know he had been caught.

"Al! What took you so long? You only had one floor to do!" I whisper-shouted, jumping out of my seat and running to look him over.

"I'm fine Phoenix, bloody hell. I just decided to add a little…extra to our prank," Al said with a smirk.

"I am so proud of you," I said, smiling at him.

* * *

"Wake up. Roxanne Weasley, get your mopey arse out of bed now," I ordered.

"Go away," Roxy moaned.

"Roxy wake up! We have a surprise for you!" Lily sang.

Roxy pulled the pillows off of her face slightly, peering at us with one brown eye.

"Please Rox, you really don't want to miss this one," I begged.

She sighed.

"Yes! Okay, we have clothes for you here," Lily said, laying a pile of clothes over the end of Roxy's bed.

"I'm going to go start the shower," I told her, moving towards the bathroom. I quickly flipped the shower on, ducking out before the water could hit me. Then I laid out her hairbrush and toothpaste.

Roxy brushed past me, and I ducked out of the bathroom before she pulled off her clothes. Lily was laying out lip-gloss and eye shadow, which we were hoping Roxy would do herself; neither of us knew a thing about makeup.

Lily and I smiled as Roxy came out of the bathroom wearing her tie. We would explain what they were to her later, but for now we just wanted her to have hers on. She did her makeup without speaking, then we walked to the Great Hall.

Roxy looked at the empty tables. "What time is it?" She mumbled.

"Early! We wanted to be the first ones here!" Lily said cheerily. Roxy snorted, but didn't comment.

We ate slowly, watching as people began to trickle into the hall. Al, James, and Fred joined us, and they stared at the door with just as much impatience as Lily and I. Roxy stirred a bowl of cereal gloomily.

Finally, just as Al was beginning to wiggle in his seat and James was scanning the Ravenclaw table for a certain redhead, our target walked in.

There was a shout, then people began to laugh.

Dalton looked around, confused.

Roxy looked up, then turned to look behind her.

Dalton realized everyone was staring at him.

Roxy's jaw dropped.

Dalton looked down.

Roxy let out a loud laugh.

Dalton screamed.

Coleen's camera flashed from the end of the Ravenclaw table, capturing the image forever. Dalton stood before the Great Hall in a pair of bright pink boxers. The front of the boxers proudly declared him "Hogwarts' Princess". The back of the boxers, we discovered as he turned to run from the hall, said "You KNOW you want me!".

Roxy turned around, struggling to breath through her laughter. "You lot did this?"

"Duh."

"Who else?"

"Yes ma'am."

"You know it."

I gave her a wicked smirk. "Oh Roxy. This is only the beginning."

Coleen sat down next to James. "Well that was unpleasant. But rather funny. Here you go Roxy."

Roxy took the picture, laughing again at the stunned look on Dalton's face.

"Hey Coleen," James said, ignoring my glare.

"Hello James," Coleen said.

"Would you like to go to Hogsmeade with me next week?"

Fred choked on his toast, I attempted to burn through my twin with my eyes, Roxy rolled her eyes, Lily smirked, and Al turned a wide-eyed gaze on James.

"No thank you," Coleen said simply, rising from the table and walking off before James could respond.

James pouted as we laughed at him.

"I'm so glad you two decided to drag me out of bed this morning," Roxy cheered.

* * *

By the end of the day we had a dozen photos of Dalton:

Dalton in his new pink boxers.

Dalton with shrinking clothes.

Dalton with makeup on.

Dalton with an overly large nose and tiny eyes.

Dalton quite literally leaving a green cloud and looking miserable. Behind him, people ran away with their hands over their noses.

Dalton professing his everlasting love to McGonagall (this was my personal favorite).

Dalton struggling to eat as his food jumped away from him. Over his head hovered the words "I am Desirable No. 1".

Dalton walking down the ceiling in the hallway.

Dalton dodging quills and books.

Dalton owling home to inform his parents that he was running away to join a fairy caravan.

Dalton dangling by his mouth from a giant bubblegum-bubble in the library. Below him, Madame Pince was red-faced from screaming at him.

And Dalton sleeping outside of the Ravenclaw tower entrance.

Roxy was thrilled to discover that she only had pictures of the events Coleen had witnessed. There had been at least two-dozen other incidents, for we had hexed every doorway, chair, toilet, classroom, hallway, and staircase that we could to do something to Dalton. We had created the hexes to last a week, and each one would only work once, on one specific day. Today there were over 100 hexes he hadn't set off, and there were over a 100 new hexes waiting for him tomorrow. Roxy was more alive than we had seen her in weeks, and I was glad we had taken our time planning something on such a grand scale.

* * *

The next day, Fred and I were called to McGonagall's office.

"Mr. Weasley, Miss Potter. Have a biscuit," Professor McGonagall said by way of greeting.

"Thanks Minnie," I said cheerily, dropping into the chair before her. Fred hopped over the back of the chair next to me, taking two biscuits and nodding his thanks.

"Do you know why you are here?" McGonagall asked, eyeing Fred's feet, which were propped up on her desk.

"Not a clue," Fred chirped, barely remembering to cover his mouth before he sprayed her with crumbs.

"Today, Mr. Dalton Tate was hit with a Swelling charm so severe his eyes were swollen shut."

McGonagall stared at us, waiting.

"And?" Fred asked after a moment.

McGonagall sighed. "Did you do it? Are you doing all of these pranks?"

"No ma'am," Fred said.

She looked at me, knowing that I couldn't lie to her without her knowing.

And I didn't lie. "No ma'am."

I didn't do the Swelling charm, James did. And I wasn't doing _all_ of the pranks; I was only doing some.

Still, when I saw the surprise and relief in her eyes, I felt guilty.

"Well then, I am very sorry to have wrongly accused you. Good evening," Professor McGonagall said, smiling.

Fred and I walked in silence until we were nearly two floors away. Then he let out a whoop, gleeful at getting away with it. I smiled back at him, but, for the first time, I was feeling guilty for lying to McGonagall.

Then I remembered the way Roxy had sobbed when she found out Dalton was cheating, and I felt a little better.

Our pranks were justified. McGonagall just wouldn't understand.

* * *

"I don't want to go," Dom moaned.

"Come on, you have to go. I can't suffer through all of those dresses by myself!" I urged.

"No. I can't. I can't go and play happy family. I won't!"

"Yes you can, and you will!"

"Won't!"

"Will!"

"Won't!"

"WILL!"

"I WON'T!"

"YOU WILL!"

Behind me, a throat cleared.

Molly stood in the doorway of the 6th year dorms, half a dozen curious girls peering over her shoulders.

"What's going on?" Molly asked.

"We're just discussing whether or not Dom's going to wear her gold top. Sorry everyone, we got a bit into it," I lied easily, tossing the piece of clothing (which I had been folding, as I was doing Dom's packing while she moped) at Dom.

"It's pretty. It will look good with your skin tone," A girl said shyly.

"Fine, I'll wear it!" Dom whinged. I grinned, knowing that she was actually telling me she would go.

"Thanks!" I told the girl, tossing the last of Dom's clothes into her suitcase and slamming it shut.

Vic had planned her dress fittings over Easter Break, since most of her bridesmaids were still in school. Dom had been moping all day, refusing to pack for the train even though it left at a quarter past noon, which was in half an hour. I had finally done all of her packing for her, telling her that, should I forget anything, it was her fault.

We had to run to the train after Dom realized that I had only packed half of her makeup (why does she need so much anyways?). We climbed aboard just as the train started moving, and said our goodbyes before separating. I found a compartment containing Lana, Lucy, Roxy, Fred, James, Nikki and Jay.

"Hello!" I said cheerily. I grinned as I realized that Fred was sat next to Jay, with Lana on his other side. "I think I would like to sit next to you two, if you don't mind."

I smirked as I wedged myself between Freddy and Jay, shoving Fred right up against Lana.

"Oi! Woman, your arse just isn't that small," Fred whinged, though he looked rather pleased.

"Too bad," I told him, giving him a mock pout.

"Hey. I didn't think you were going to make it. Where were you at?" Jay asked me.

"Oh such little faith. Do you remember hearing about my father's second year? When he rode in a flying car after missing the train?"

"Yes, and then he crashed it. Into the Whomping Willow."

"Technically my Uncle Ron crashed it," I said with a grin. My family snorted.

"Your Uncle Ron is something else," Jay told me, shaking his head.

"Aren't we all?" I asked, leaning against his chest. He slid his arm around my waist, and I couldn't help but smile at Fred and Lana, who were talking quietly.

* * *

"Oh gods, I can't breath!"

"Hush, we'll let the bust out a bit in a second."

"Victoire, are my legs supposed to be twisted up in the skirt like that?"

"No Phoenix, ask Dom for help."

"I think there's lipstick on my dress."

"Use your wand!"

"But I'm underage!"

"I still can't breathe!"

"Roxy, if you can breathe enough to be shouting than you can breathe enough."

"Ahh!"

"Could someone help Phoenix off the floor?"

"Oh that's definitely not my color."

"Shut up Luce, yellow looks great on you."

"Have you seen my hair?"

"Nix, what the hell is this?"

"I don't know! Does it look like I know?"

"Oh Merlin."

"Teddy! Why are you guys coming in here?"

"Ew who invited the blokes?"

"I'm suffocating!"

"What the bloody hell?"

"Oh my gods. I look like a candle."

"Vic baby, are you okay?"

"No! Nothing is going right!"

"Well calm down, we'll fix it."

"Okay, that's not lipstick, I think it's blood. Oh Merlin, oh Merlin. I'm going to faint."

"Is this even a color?"

"What's going on?"

Finally, my Grandmum burst into the room, banging two pots together. Hands flew to cover ears, and the room grew quiet.

"Excellent. Now, Roxy come here," She loosened Roxy's dress with a wave of her wand. "Vic honey, here's a tissue. Calm down and we'll get you all sorted out. Dom, that isn't lipstick or blood, it's just the color of the dress. It's supposed to be artsy." She waved her wand again, removing the offending red marks. "Phoenix, love you really need to practice wearing dresses. How do you manage, wearing skirts every day?"

"I wear shorts underneath and pretend that's all I have on," I told her, grabbing Fred for balance as he hauled me off the floor.

"Well just so you know, this," She reached for part of the tangled mess, "Is the top of the dress." She pulled the dress off, leaving me in a slip. "Oh, but this won't do." She shook her head at the ruffles on the bodice, the off the shoulder sleeves, and the skin-tight skirt.

"Lucy, you're perfectly right, yellow isn't a friend to any red-head. Victoire, have you thought of making the bridesmaid dresses pale green? It will go nicely with everyone's hair, eyes, and skin tones! Plus, it will match your summery theme." Grandmum suggested. Vic sniffled, then nodded hesitantly.

"Why does it matter what color their dresses are?" Uncle Ron asked.

"Ronald, why are you even in here?" Grandmum snapped. Uncle Ron took one look at the pans in her hands and ran.

Grandmum waved her wand, turning my dress into a pale green, strapless dress with a ruffled skirt.

"Erm, Grandmum? It's pretty and all, but how does it…stay…up?" I asked hesitantly.

Grandmum snorted, then handed me the dress before turning to Lucy's dress.

"Okay…" I said, wiggling into the dress. Fred helped me zip it, then Grandmum noticed Freddy and quickly shoed all of the guys out. I laughed stepping up beside Dom to look in a mirror.

"Voila!" She said, gesturing to her dress.

I grinned. The dress was emerald, setting her apart as the Maid of Honor. It came just to her knees, and was tight, without making her look bad. She looked gorgeous.

"It's perfect. What do you think of mine?" I asked, fingering the skirt nervously.

"You look beautiful!" Dom said. I beamed at her.

"Alright ladies, what's the verdict?" Came a loud voice from behind us. Dom and I turned to look at Vic's best friend, Alexandra. Her dress was made to make her look rather princess-like.

"You look great!" Dom and I said in unison.

"What do you think?" Roxy yelled, flinging out her arms. Her dress was full length, tight, and rather elegant.

"Amazing. As usual," Dom said, shaking her head at our gorgeous cousin.

Lucy walked up, tossing her arms around Roxy's neck. Her dress was a simple full-length dress, with a sash as a sleeve.

"You look stellar!" Alexandra winked.

Lily and Rose ran up, looking much too pretty. I made a mental note to pay someone to keep the boys away from my little cousin and sister. They had decided on almost perfectly matched dresses. They were full length and ruffled. The only difference between the two was the large bow around Lily's waist.

"Ugh," I said, looking at them.

"Can you two not look so pretty?" Roxy whinged.

They giggled.

"What do you think about mine?" Molly asked shyly as she walked up.

We gaped at her. While Molly normally looked pretty, she usually didn't put a lot of effort into her look. Her dress had loose sleeves. The silky material had a square neckline, and tightened just below her bust before falling straight down to the floor. With her hair pulled up so that we could see the dress, she looked amazing. Grandmum had even changed the frames of her glasses to match the color of her dress.

"Molly…" Dom gasped.

"You look…" Lucy whispered.

"…STUNNING!" Lily yelled.

We swarmed about her, complementing her profusely. Then someone cleared their throat behind us. We turned.

Victoire looked like a princess. Her dress was puffy, with a sweetheart neckline. It was covered in tiny crystals, which looked beautiful with her silvery blonde hair.

We quickly swarmed Vic, all trying to shout over the other. We were all trying to tell her how beautiful she looked, or how perfect the dress was. Aunt Fleur walked in, kissing Vic on both cheeks and telling her she looked "étourdissant".

Vic cried again.

We got her out of the dress just moments before Ted came in. Teddy got in serious trouble with Grandmum for "barging in unannounced when Vic could have been in her dress".

We laughed until we cried at Teddy running around the room with bright red hair, dodging hexes and frying pans.

* * *

"Look Victoire, I really just want to apologize. I swear to you, I _swear_ , it never would have happened if I hadn't been so drunk. I know-"

"No Dominique, you don't know. You don't understand a thing about commitment, and you don't understand a thing about love. You're just a little girl, and you need to stop acting like you understand things you don't. You need to grow up, before you end up loosing something you really care about."

"Vic, you are something I really care about. Please, I miss you so much, and I'm so sorry. You don't understand how sorry I am."

"You should have thought of this before you slept with him."

I waited in the shadows until my oldest cousin swept past. Then I crept into the bathroom, wrapping my arms around my sobbing cousin.

"I'm sorry Dom. I'm so sorry."

Dom cried brokenly, and it was filled with pain like I had never heard before. I knew how much her sister meant to her.

I knew how much Vic was hurting her sister. I just don't think Vic did.

* * *

 **I know I'm dreadful at describing dresses. If you don't understand what one is supposed to look like, just picture your own! : )**

 **I can't believe I got THREE reviews last chapter! That's the most reviews I've ever had on a chapter! Thank you!**

Son of Whitebeard **: LOL, I'm not sure whether you're referring to Hugo's confession, Coleen's random picture, or something else. But either way, thanks for the review.**

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laxgirl1415 **: Thank you! I appreciate it! And me too, I just couldn't keep them apart for long.**

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 **Thank you for reading, reviewing, favoriting, and following!**


	16. Just An Owl

**Author's Note: I'd like to start this chapter off with a HUGE thank you. I know that this new "I'll post/write whenever possible" thing sucks, and I really appreciate all of the people who are willing to wait. You are the reason that I write.**

 **I don't own Harry Potter; if I did, there would have been a few cool Slytherins, and Harry would have been friends with them.**

* * *

 **Just An OWL**

* * *

"Phoenix how is your studying coming along?" Aunt Hermione asked.

"Well, my friend Don is a tyrant, so he makes me study even when I don't want to," I laughed.

"You'll be grateful for him one day," She told me.

"Oh I'm grateful for him now. I'm fairly certain I'd be going mad without his constant planning. He literally plans out every hour of his day, and he often includes us in it as well. And, since I'm only taking one OWL, he has me sit off to the side and-"

"'Mione, don't drive the poor girl bonkers. All she has to do is take one OWL. Then she's done," Uncle Ron said loudly as he walked into the room. He winked at me.

"Ronald, these OWLs are extremely important for her future-"

"OWL. She's only taking one. And it's not that important. NEWTs are important," Uncle Ron told her.

"How would you know? You never took yours! And they are important! If she doesn't pass her OWL she can't go on to the NEWT class!" She said hotly.

"So you're going to throw that back in my face now? And she's not going to fail; she's skipped a bloody year for Merlin's sake. Not even _you_ did that. Hell woman, it's just an OWL…"

"Oh? And what _exactly_ is that supposed to mean Ronald? That not even _I_ did that? You know…"

I backed away slowly until my feet hit the edge of the living room carpet. As soon as I was in the clear, I turned and ran.

I rushed up to the room that I was sharing with Roxy, Lucy, Lily, Dom, Molly, and Rose. Grandmum had insisted that everyone stay at the Burrow for Easter Break, and I was finding it very hard to study amongst my various family members. Anyone who had taken their OWLs was ready to offer some advice (typically advice that completely contradicted what the last person had told me) or to offer their help (which was great…except the parents hadn't been in school in over twenty years, and Vic had everyone else working on her wedding plans). On top of all of that, there was also the issue my family seemed to have with silence.

It was as though silence was a foreign word. Someone was always laughing, crying, screaming, shouting, story-telling, dropping something, breaking something, moving something, or making some sort of noise.

I climbed up into the top bunk of the one of the beds Grandmum had created, letting out a sigh. I opened my book, pulled out my notes, and started to review.

"Sonorus. Used for amplifying the targeted sound. Most commonly-"

BANG.

"Ha!" Roxy shouted, pretending not to notice that the door she had just flung open had left a dent in the wall. "And then he said 'no, I just want to be with you', and I told him! I went on about how he only wanted to get the pranks to stop, and that I would make him sorry, and then I _hexed him good_!"

I sighed. It appeared that Roxy was retelling the story of her final confrontation with Dalton-again.

"You sure did!" Dom cheered, giving Roxy a loud high-five.

"Oh, so did you lot hear about Judith Evers?" Lucy asked.

"No? What did she do?" Roxy gasped, leaning forward to listen.

"Well I heard that she-"

"Hem hem," I said, trying to smile at them.

"Oh, nice Umbridge impression Phoe. So, have you heard about Evers?" Lucy asked.

"No, but-"

"Well you know how's she's been seeing Davies, right?" Lucy started.

"What? Since when? I thought that he was seeing McNeil?" Rose interjected.

"Oh no, he broke up with her because of her acne," Dom told her, rolling her eyes.

"Guys-" I tried.

"I know, can't live with them, can't live without them," Lily laughed, shooting me a playful wink.

"So anyways, she and Davies decided to shack up…in McGonagall's classroom," Lucy said dramatically, clearly enjoying the gasps her words earned.

"No way," Dom breathed in awe.

"That's practically suicide!" Molly finally joined the conversation.

"Merlin, I-" Was all I got out before I was cut off yet again.

"Oh, but it gets better," Lucy gave a wicked smirk.

"Merlin's beard! They got caught?" Dom asked in horror.

"Was it Flitch? That would be rather scarring," Rose asked.

"I'll bet it was Hagrid!" Lily shouted.

"Hagrid?"

"Oh, gross Lils."

"Uh, hello?" I tried to get their attention again, growing slightly exasperated.

Lily gave me an appreciative glance. "Yeah! Rosie, really?" Wait, I wasn't agreeing to anything. "Like Flitch was any better," She tossed her hair.

"I'll bet they got caught by McGonagall herself!" Molly gasped.

"No, it's even better than that!" Lucy told them.

All heads snapped to look at her.

I sighed.

"They got away with it," Lucy said with a smirk.

I groaned as my cousins began to gasp and let out shocked exclamations. I grabbed my notes and textbook, muttering swears under my breath as I left the room.

* * *

I moved into the kitchen, hoping that my Grandmother would be willing to give me a quiet place to study.

"Hi Grandmum," I muttered tiredly.

"Hello dear. Looking for somewhere quiet to study?" Grandmum asked.

"Yes please," I begged, jumping up to sit on the counter.

"I'll try to keep the noise at bay," She promised, turning back to the vegetables she was chopping.

She hummed quietly, waving her wand at various objects in the room. I smiled, pulling open my book.

For about ten minutes, the room remained quiet. I had just begun to relax, thinking that I could finally get something done, when chaos hit.

"Grandmum!" Vic wailed, bursting into the kitchen.

"Victoire, dear what's wrong? I thought you were going to look at heels for the bridesmaids?" Grandmum said, shooting me an apologetic look as she rushed forward to comfort Vic.

I remained seated, hoping that the problem would be something that wouldn't make Vic cry over how "stupid she was".

"I was, but the kind I liked didn't have Molly's size!" Vic sniffled.

Merlin. Here we go.

"Vic, dear," Grandmum began gently, trying to avoid the inevitable waterworks, "That's easily fixed. We'll just buy a pair that are charmed to be self-sizing."

Vic's lip trembled, and I quietly gathered up my things.

"Merlin, I'm so stupid!" She sobbed. I ducked under one of her flailing arms and exited the room.

"Twenty galleons says she's pregnant," Uncle Ron muttered to Uncle George as I passed them on my way out of the kitchen.

I opened the back door, thinking of travelling to the garden, only to turn right back around. I could still hear Hugo's panicked cries as I walked away.

"Dear, have you seen James?" My Mum asked me as I walked past her.

In my mind I saw Hugo running circles around the garden, Fred and James leaning against the wall, breathless with laugher, and Al chasing after Hugo, water shooting out of his wand as he tried to put out the fire (which I knew to be Enchanted Flames, a painless prank that Uncle George sold with a very distinctive flame pattern) that was burning atop Hugo's skull.

"Nope. Have you tried the kitchen?"

"Oh, good idea. Thanks love," Mum called, drifting unwittingly towards the bride-to-be's warzone.

I climbed up the seemingly endless flight of stairs, bypassing the attic (where the family ghoul was cheerfully banging on the pipes) and coming to a stop at the tallest window in the whole house. In the evening the window had a gorgeous view of the sunset, and in the day it glimpsed miles of hilly countryside. When I was young I had discovered the window and fallen in love. I had demanded to sleep beneath it, begging for a bed to be placed at the end of the long hallway. My dad just shook his head at me, letting me take a few blankets and a pillow upstairs for a night.

It was then that I discovered just how noisy a ghoul could be.

I was crushed, and moped around the house for days. Then, late one night Teddy snuck into my room, pulling me from bed to stumble sleepily to my window.

I stood shivering as my brother showed me a little latch on the window, something I had never noticed. He turned it, then pushed open the window to let in a rush of icy night air. I shivered and crept up to the edge of the window, looking at the stars with wide eyes. Teddy grinned, grabbing me by the waist and slinging me onto his back.

Then he started to climb out of the window.

When I protested Teddy just laughed, asking me where my Gryffindor was. Never one to back down from a challenge, I held tight to my brother's back as he pulled us onto the roof.

The wind was so strong I worried about blowing away, but Ted kept low to the roof, creeping forward until we reached a cluster of chimneys. He crawled in between a few of the chimneys, pulling me off of his back and giving me a proud look.

I gazed around in amazement. The smokestacks blocked the wind, lending a still quiet place to enjoy the view.

And the view was spectacular.

A thousand stars lit up the sky above us. All around us stretched the countryside, rolling hills and glittery ponds visible in the light of the full moon. The sight was breathtaking, and I had never experienced a peaceful silence like the one that surrounded us at that moment.

After that, the roof became "our spot". Teddy and I read up on Sticking charms, stealing Dad's wand one night and using it to charm a crate to the roof. We filled the crate with blankets, candies, water bottles, books and a few ancient brooms, in case someone shut and locked the window while we were out. We would sneak up whenever we needed a quiet place, or when we wanted to spend some time together.

We had been using it a lot less lately.

I threw open the window, holding my book and notes in one hand as I expertly scaled the side of the house. I kicked the window shut with my foot, knowing that Ted would find me either way. The view was as breathtaking as ever, and I took a moment to admire it after I got settled.

I cracked open my book, relishing the silence, and began to study. I studied for hours, pulling out an old lantern and a blanket when it began to grow dark. Finally, ages after I had begun studying, I head the sound of someone else crossing to the chimneys.

"Hey," Teddy said, scooting into the small space with me.

"Hey," I said. "You know, I'm starting to realize that my small stature isn't so bad."

Ted laughed, pulling his knees into his chest and peering around. "Yeah, I guess it's been a while since we've been up here, huh?"

I shrugged. "I don't know, I still come up here when I can."

He scratched the back of his neck; ducking his head as he spoke, "Guess it's just me then."

I nudged him with my foot. "So, how's Bridezilla?"

He chuckled. "Don't call her that. She's just got a lot of pressure on her right now. There's a lot of people coming to this thing, and she wants it to be perfect."

"You know," I said, tipping my head under my brother's to peer at his face, "You didn't have to invite so many people."

Ted grimaced. "Actually, we kind of did. I'm a Lupin-Potter, and Vic's a Weasley. I'm also an Auror-in-training, which means I work for the Ministry, and Vic's training at St. Mungo's. There are so many people who would have revolted if we hadn't invited them."

"You should have just invited family then. Had a really small wedding."

"Nah, then the pressure would have been on you lot when you get married in a few years here."

"Ted," I sighed, leaning my head against his arm. "You lot shouldn't have to worry about the rest of us. It's your special day."

"It's our job to worry about the rest of you," Teddy grinned. He flung his arm around my shoulders, only to swear loudly as his arm collided with a chimney.

"Shite Ted," I laughed, reaching my hand out towards his arm.

Teddy yelped as I touched his rapidly bruising appendage, ripping it from my grasp.

I laughed harder. "Don't be such a baby!" I tried to grab his elbow again.

Ted hissed at me, yanking his arm against his chest and giving himself pointed cat ears and whiskers. I could hardly breath from laughing so hard. He sniffed, cradling his arm against his chest like it was an infant.

"Teddy, you're going to be an Auror, don't be a wimp!"

"You're mean! I want Lily to look at it. At least she's semi-gentle," Teddy whined. I laughed harder as I remembered having the same conversation with Teddy almost 7 years ago, when he fell off his broom and broke his arm.

"What about Mum then?" I repeated the same words my 7-year-old self had said.

Teddy mimicked the same horrified face he had worn years ago, saying, "No, she's even worse!"

We both dissolved into laugher.

"Anyways, I came up here to tell you that it's time for supper. Also, your cat is going to give us away. She was pacing beneath the window and meowing quite loudly," Teddy told me once we had calmed down.

"She's a Kneazle! And Teddy! You just left her there?" I cried.

He rolled his eyes, reaching into his coat to pull out a fuzzy, grumpy black Kneazle.

"Hi precious!" I cooed. My kitten gave me a pathetic look, her slightly smashed face and big green eyes adding to the effect. "Are you okay? Look Circe, isn't it pretty up here?" I turned her face outward and grinned as I felt her purr.

Felt, but not heard…

Come to think of it, she had been suspiciously quiet the entire time Teddy had been up here…

"Teddy?" I said, offering my brother a wide smile.

"Yeah Phoe?" He responded, smiling back.

"Is there a Silencing charm on my cat?"

"I-I uh, I thought you said she wasn't a cat!" Teddy stuttered, struggling to crawl out of the space we were trapped in. I calmly tucked my kitten into a pocket in my coat, taking my book into both hands and following my brother across the roof. I swung my book at him, long past being scared of the drop below us. Teddy, just as comfortable as I after his Quidditch years, simply laughed, ducking the book and jumping off the edge of the roof. I followed, grabbing the tiled edge and swinging in through the window in a similar manner to my brother. I chased him down the hallway, ducking a spell he sent over his shoulder that had the window snapping shut and locking behind us.

We ran into the kitchen, laughing hysterically. Ted was quick to drop into a seat next to Vic, sending me a smug look. Vic looked between the two of us before smacking Teddy upside the head.

"Hey! What was that for?" Teddy whinged, rubbing his head.

"I don't know. Obviously you did something," Vic shrugged.

I shot Teddy a smirk before sitting down next to Dom, who was shaking with laugher. Grandmum just shook her head at us, reaching her arm across the table for my book. I handed it to her, reaching into my coat moments later to release my Kneazle. She gave me an irritated look, only calming slightly when I fed her a small piece of chicken. She then gazed serenely across the table, her eyes meeting Teddy's. He shifted guiltily for a moment, peeking at our various aunts, cousins, and two suspicious red-haired Weasley women. Finally, Circe's gaze broke him, and he sighed before pulling out his wand and cancelling the spell.

Her tail twitched. Teddy sighed.

"Meow."

I laughed as Circle jumped out of my arms and prowled away.

"Teddy Remus Lupin-Potter! What did you do to that poor Kneazle?" Grandmum's voice rang across the table. Poor Teddy looked slightly panicked, and I wondered briefly if it would be worth saving him…

"Fred and James lit my hair on fire!" Hugo said suddenly.

Huh. Guess he owed Ted something.

"Frederick!"

"James Sirius!"

"Don't think you're safe either Teddy!"

I ducked a spoonful of mashed potatoes, reaching under Vic's flailing arms to grab some carrots. Dom chuckled, avoiding a spray of food via Uncle Ron's mouth as he argued with Aunt Hermione.

"Hey Rose," Roxy called, leaning down the table a bit.

"Yeah Rox?"

"Is it true that Scorp is dating that girl from Ravenclaw?"

I choked on my toast, laugher building in my chest. Dom looked confused until I mouthed a name at her. She let out a giggle and we leant over the table to watch our wicked cousin.

"I don't know, why are you asking me?" Rose snapped. Still, she looked strangely curious…

"I don't know, you two just seem to spend a lot of time together. How about you Al, would you happen to know if Scorpius is dating that Ravenclaw girl?"

Albus looked up from his peas. Beside him, James listened in curiously.

"What Ravenclaw girl?" Al asked.

"Creevey? The one who's always hanging out at our table? A couple of the girls in my Charms class were talking about it, and we decided it must be Scorp that she's dating. They're probably the cutest couple ever, right?" Roxy gushed. I laughed as James' face grew red, and Rose looked more than a little angry. Apparently, neither one of them remembered that Roxy and Coleen had been on a first name basis for a few years now.

"There's no way Coleen and _Scorpius_ could be dating," Rose said huffily.

"Yeah, definitely not. She's mine," James said just as irritably.

I snorted. Dom let out a little laugh.

"Actually, if I remember correctly, she told you no," Rose said snidely.

"She's just playing hard to get," James responded angrily.

"Or maybe she's just too smart to go out with a tosser like you," Rose snapped.

"Oh I'm the tosser? At least I'm not hiding my feelings by being a bint all of the time," James threw back.

Roxy's expression went from smug to concerned. Dom and I quickly leaned back in our seats, taking a newfound interest in our chicken. Al dropped his fork loudly, diving under the table to retrieve it as Rose and James grew louder. Mum and Aunt Hermione looked angry.

"Rose Bathilda Weasley! You had better not ever let me catch you calling your cousin a tosser again!"

"James Sirius Potter! How dare you speak to her like that? Apologize now!"

"You are in so much trouble young lady!"

"I cannot believe this! This is not how we raised you!"

"Making fun of him because the girl he likes doesn't return his affections is unacceptable!"

"Rose and Scorpius simply don't get along! They're at least civil when everyone is together though James, something you and _your cousin_ couldn't accomplish!"

Dom and I looked desperately at Grandpa.

"Go," He mouthed across the table to us.

We grabbed a few rolls and a chicken leg and ran. Behind us, Lily and Hugo carried a plate full of mashed potatoes and some vegetables. Al crawled out from under the table and grabbed a few extra forks. Roxy grabbed some apples and followed. Lucy and Molly snuck out of the kitchen with pockets full of sweets.

And poor Teddy looked as though he wanted nothing more than to grab a bowl of yams and follow us.

We crept into the boys' room and laid out our food.

"Well that didn't go according to plan," Roxy said, taking a forkful of beets.

Lucy crinkled her nose at Roxy's choice vegetable, reaching instead for some beans. "Yeah, no kidding."

"Guess we're hiding out here then," Lily shrugged.

"Bugger. I needed my book back from Grandmum," I muttered, stuffing some mashed potatoes in my mouth.

"Not anymore. Guess that means you'll have to have some fun with us instead," Dom teased.

"I can't believe break ends tomorrow!" Hugo wailed.

"I can't believe I have an OWL in a few months," I groaned.

"I can't believe we've still got a whole year left," Molly whinged.

"I can't believe I've got to put up with Tate for another year," Roxy muttered.

"I can't believe we're going to win the Quidditch Cup again!" Lily cheered.

We all stared at her for a moment, then I let out a whoop and everyone began laughing.

The door flew open, and Fred rushed into the room.

"You lot left me! I got up to go to the bathroom and I come back to two crazy Aunts and a half empty table! I tried to run but Aunt Hermione caught me, and then I had to listen to a speech on how "we kids always run off when something we don't like happens, and how we should really stay behind and support each other. And don't we care that our cousins weren't even getting along?" It was dreadful!" Freddy wailed.

We laughed, offering him a cookie in condolence. Rose and James joined us a while later, falling face first onto Al's bed and moaning about "dishes, so many dishes".

"I'm going to go get my Charms book," I told them a short while later.

"Oh come on Phoenix!"

"Stay up here, just take the night off!"

"It's just an OWL!"

I ignored their protests as I walked downstairs. I found my grandparents sitting in their kitchen, holding hands and sipping tea.

"Hello dear," Grandmum said, standing up.

I blushed. "Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt-"

"Don't worry about it," Grandpa said, smiling at me. "We're plenty used to having people pop in whenever."

I smiled at him.

"Now, did you need something?" Grandmum asked, moving about the kitchen to fix a cup of tea as she spoke.

"I was just wondering if I could get my notes and book back?"

She smiled at me. "You've been studying so hard for this, you're really making everyone proud."

"Yes dear, even your Aunt Hermione says you're studying very hard," Grandpa added.

My smile broadened at their praise. "Thank you."

"You're very welcome love. You know, you've studied almost the whole time you were here," Grandmum stated, reaching for the sugar as she spoke.

I turned red, "I'm sorry, I just-"

"Oh no," She cut me off quickly, "I wasn't saying it's a bad thing. We completely understand. It happens every time we have an OWL or a NEWT tester in this house. I was just stating that you've been doing it."

I nodded, uncertain as to where she was going with the conversation.

"Perhaps you ought to take a night off," Grandpa told me.

"Spend a little time with your cousins," Grandmum added. "They all understand why you're working so hard, but I'll bet they still miss you. Plus, there will come a day when you'll wish you had spent more time with them." Her eyes got a bit misty, and I realized that she must have been thinking of Uncle Fred.

"I-I mean, I guess I could take off one night," I stuttered, feeling slightly awkward. I had never met the man, but I knew he had been very loved. I couldn't imagine how my family must have felt, loosing someone so close to them, especially so young.

"Good, very good dear," My Grandpa said, moving to place his hands on my Grandmother's shoulders as he spoke.

She jumped at his hands, then seemed to come out of her reverie, offering me an apologetic smile. "Just enjoy your break, is all that we're advising," She told me.

I nodded, accepting the cup of tea that she offered me. I then kissed both of my grandparents on the cheeks, noticing for the first time the wrinkles on their tired faces. My Grandmother smiled at me, dimples curving below a spray of freckles, and I felt the urge to sit down with them for the rest of the night. I resisted, instead taking their advice and returning to my cousins and siblings.

I didn't get my book back until I was boarding the train.

* * *

"Hey Phoenix, how was your break?"

I rolled my eyes, reaching around Holland to grab a quill.

"Come on, I'm just being friendly," He whinged.

"It was great, spent the whole time trying to study despite various _distractions_ ," I ground out.

"Oh, that sucks," Holland said, sitting atop the notes I had carefully laid out next to me on the couch. "Don't you just hate distractions? My mum doesn't let me do anything when I get home, says she misses me too much, and that I can worry about school when I'm there. Since, you know, we're here for months-"

"Yeah Holland, pretty sure she knows how long we spend at school. Believe it or not, Phoenix is actually pretty smart. Now, I do believe she's trying to study, you know, for that _OWL_ she's taking, so perhaps you should bugger off."

I smirked at Jay, my night in shining armor. He grinned back, a toothy smile as Holland stalked away in a huff.

"Jay, I'm going to fail this!" I wailed, my smirk dropping. "I'm dreadful! I'm going to forget everything, and then Flitwick is going to hate me, and I don't want him to hate me!"

Jay kneeled down in front of me. "Phoenix, you're going to do wonderfully. You forget that Flitwick is the one who moved you up. He's not an idiot. Trust me, if he thinks you can do it, chances are pretty good for you."

I pouted. "But what if he's wrong?"

Jay smiled. "He's not. Trust me babe, you're going to do fine."

I grinned at him.

"Plus," He told me, standing up and reaching for his book, "It's just an OWL."

I scowled.

* * *

"Phoenix, you've got to see this!" Dom said excitedly, plopping down in the seat across from me.

I looked up from my Charms book, the eggs I had been unsuccessfully trying to put in my mouth (without looking at them) falling from my fork. "What?"

"Look!"

I followed her gaze to see James standing atop the table, a bouquet of roses clasped in his hands.

"How long has he been there for?" I asked.

"About 10 minutes," Al responded, looking curiously at our brother.

"Really Phoenix, you're so out of it," Roxy said, rolling her eyes.

"I'm studying!" I told her.

"It's just an OWL," She said, turning her gaze back to James.

James ignored irritated teachers, Gigglers (who had completely surrounded him and were alternating between gazing at the flowers, sighing, and, you guessed it, giggling), and snickering blokes alike. He simply stood and stared at the doors, seemingly waiting. Soon enough, everyone was staring curiously at the door, wondering what could possibly have my brother so focused.

The answer walked in and blushed to the roots of her pale red hair.

"Erm…hello. Do I have something on my face?" Coleen asked.

"Coleen," My brother called.

She looked up and sighed. "Yes James?"

Her rather short answer sent giggles across the hall.

"Oh hush up and eat something. That's the whole reason we're in here isn't it?" Coleen snapped. A few of the people closest to her shrunk back slightly.

"Uh…Coleen?" James asked, with a little less confidence.

She pursed her lips, then turned to face him. "Yes Jamesie dearest? What ever could I possibly do for you?" She asked sweetly.

James now looked rightly wary. "I was wondering…" He suddenly seemed to realize that everyone in the Great Hall was watching, and grew very cocky before our eyes. "You, me. Hogsmeade. This weekend. We cool babe?"

Coleen sighed. "No. Thanks."

With that Coleen turned and walked out of the room.

There was a shout of laugher, and James jumped off of the table looking very red. He stormed out of the room, throwing his flowers in a trashcan as he went. Lily, Al, and I followed him to the entryway of the Hall.

We looked at each other for a long moment.

"Al and I will get James, Phoenix get Coleen," Lily said decisively. We nodded, and my two younger siblings rushed off to our right while I moved to the left.

"Coleen?" I called, walking down the corridor.

"Yes Phoenix?" Coleen responded, stepping out from behind a tapestry.

"I just want to apologize for my idiot brother. He doesn't really know how to talk to girls," I explained with a shrug.

"He doesn't seem to have a problem with the rest of the school's female population," She said irritably.

"That's because the rest of the population is a teacher, a Giggler, or related to him," I told her.

She giggled. "I suppose that's true. Thanks Phoe."

She turned and began walking away.

"Oh wait!" I called as she rounded a corner.

There was no response.

"Bugger."

* * *

"Phoenix, what are you and Jay doing tomorrow?" Nikki asked me.

I glanced up at her curiously.

"You know…for Hogsmeade weekend?" She asked.

I stared at her blankly.

"Oh come on! You had to have known it's a Hogsmeade weekend," Nik insisted.

I shook my head.

"It's cause she's always studying," Roxy said, rolling her eyes.

"Merlin, I'll hate to see how she is next year," Nikki said. "Or during NEWTs."

"At least you'll only have to put up with her while she's studying for one NEWT."

"Merlin, yeah your seventh year is going to suck."

"Tell me about it."

"Erm, guys? I'm sitting right here," I interrupted.

"Let's go ask Don if he knew it was a Hogsmeade weekend," Rox said, prancing out of the room before I could respond.

Nikki smiled a bit at me as she went to follow.

"Don't stress too much Phoenix. It's just an OWL."

* * *

"Phoenix, why don't we go study on the grass?"

I glanced up at Don (who, by the way, hadn't known it was a Hogsmeade weekend either) in surprise.

"I'm just thinking, it's spring, shouldn't we go enjoy it?" Don asked.

"Who are you, and what have you done with Don?" Arnold asked jokingly.

"Hey don't you mean 'who are you, and what have you done with Herm-Don'?" Jay asked. Both boys began laughing hysterically.

Don rolled his eyes, standing up and reaching for his book. Both boys looked at him in surprise, then turned to look at me as I followed suit.

"Wow, I thought that Quidditch was the only way to get you outside," Jay joked. I rolled my eyes.

"I'm surprised you can even get her outside for that," Arnold laughed.

I stopped to give him an offended look. "I'll have you know, I take Quidditch very seriously, even when I'm studying for an OWL. Quidditch is the most important thing I can do in this school, considering that's what I want to make a career out of after school. In fact-" I was cut off as Jay lifted me up, tossing me over his shoulder.

"Down girl, down," He laughed. I pouted, trying not to join in. Eventually though, the shaking of his shoulders combined with the goofy noise he made every other chuckle had me roaring with laugher.

Jay set me down as we reached the grounds; flipping me over his shoulder so fast I nearly fell on my arse.

We were still giggling as we followed Don towards the lake, hardly taking notice of Don's determined pace. Arnold was mimicking Flitch, and it was hysterical. Jay had his arm wrapped around my waist and we were laughing so hard I wasn't sure which one of us was holding the other up.

It wasn't until we reached the lake that we realized the true reasoning behind our exertion.

"Hey Don!" Ben yelled, climbing out of the lake and rushing up to his boyfriend. He staggered slightly, his face red, and it wasn't hard to tell that he was more than a little tipsy.

"Hi," Don responded, pressing his hand against Ben's bare chest before he could fling his arms around him.

I felt my cheeks growing a bit warm, and ducked my head a bit under the look that Jay gave me.

"I would be a lot redder if it was you who was shirtless," I informed him. He looked slightly mollified.

"What's wrong babe?" Ben asked, picking Don's hand up off of his chest and turning it over curiously.

"Nothing, you're just wet. Do you want to come sit with us? We're just going to study a bit, but you can take a nap if you'd like," Don asked. I suddenly noticed the flock of girls hovering behind the two.

"Sure!" Ben said cheerily. I laughed as he skipped behind Don, humming the school song as he went.

"Very sneaky Don," Jay complimented as we sat down.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Don said lowly, patting Ben's head as he flopped down into Don's lap.

"That was an awful lot of very pretty Slytherins," Arnold said conversationally.

"I wouldn't know," Don sniffed. "I wasn't paying attention."

"You know, this is nice," I said cheerily. "I know our table in the library overlooks the lake, but it's nothing like the real thing. Plus, Don always takes the seat with the best view."

Don turned red. "Get back to work you tossers."

We roared with laugher yet again, growing impossibly louder as Ben joined in, uncertain as to what he was laughing at, yet humored all the same.

* * *

"QUIDDITCH!" I yelled, jumping from bed to bed in our dorm.

"Phoenix!"

"Go back to bed!"

"Get the hell off!"

I laughed, running down the corridor to Lily's room.

"Final match of the season today! Everyone up!"

I jumped across beds yet again, kindly skipping Alice's. I laughed when I found Lily's bed empty, delighted that my sister got up just as early as I did.

"Time to support Gryffindor!" I cheered, entering Dom and Molly's room. Their dormmates groaned, rolling over and covering their heads with their pillows.

I hopped back and forth between Molly and Dom's beds, stopping only once both had sat up.

"Go away," Dom moaned.

I laughed. "Well that's not very nice!"

I was still laughing as I was chased out of the room by a slew of pillows. I ran into Rose's room, and was just as delighted to find her awake as I had been to find Lily awake.

"Good morning Phoenix," She yawned.

"Morning Rosie!" I said cheerfully, turning and walking back out of her room.

I met Jay in the Common Room.

"Quidditch!" I cheered.

He laughed, "Quidditch!"

We moved to the entrance portrait as the rest of Gryffindor began to file down the stairs. I laughed as we reached the Great Hall at the same time as Professor McGonagall.

"Good morning Minnie!" I said cheerily.

"Good morning Professor McGonagall," Jay said, with slightly less enthusiasm as he tried to be polite.

"Good morning," She said tiredly.

Professor Longbottom was sitting in the Hall when we entered. I grinned, waving at my godfather, who shook his head at me.

"Did you two wake up the whole of Gryffindor again?" He asked.

"Yes!"

"Always!"

"Can't you make them stop?"

I shook my head at my traitorous classmates.

"Man, way to throw us under the Knight bus," I muttered.

A few people laughed, and several people came over to where Jay and I had seated ourselves to show us a sign or banner they had made. I was especially delighted by one that a couple of 7th years had crafted. It had little lions that flew around, both on and off the paper, and roared _very_ loudly. I grinned as I recognized Ari Chang as one of the banner's makers. He winked at me as they gathered up the lions and walked away.

"We're going to win the Cup! We're going to win the Cup! Three years in a row we're going to win the Cup!" Hugo, Alice, Lorcan and Lysander sang cheerily. Lily grinned at them, unable to join in for fear of being un-sportsmanlike, but enjoying the song all the same.

Roxy, Lucy, and Lana joined in on our way down to the pitch, and pretty soon the entire House was singing. Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff caught on, simply changing the word 'we're' to 'they're'. Slytherin glared, being our competition, but Fred and I got them to crack a few smiles when we covered Ben in a blast of silver and green glitter.

The match was incredibly long. The snitch had apparently found a hiding spot and was taking a nap. Ben entertained himself by trying to knock me off of my broom for the majority of the game. Al saved goal after attempted goal, grinning as Jay and I yelled encouragement at him. The crowd refused to be silenced, despite the fact that the game was dragging on. Nikki and Lily spent about five minutes hitting a Bludger between themselves and Ben. They only stopped when Jay yelled at them for nearly knocking him off of his broom. I couldn't help but laugh at the look on my boyfriend's face when he realized that it had been our Lily who had hit the offending Bludger.

Finally, the Snitch made an appearance. Scorp caught it almost immediately, not that it mattered; we were so far ahead of Slytherin by that point that we would win the Cup regardless of who caught the Snitch. Still, there was a certain glory to catching the Snitch, and spirits were high at the end of the nearly 6-hour game. We made our way back to the Common Room exhausted beyond all belief, but incredibly cheerful. Our party lasted into the morning hours, and not even Don had a thing to say about studying.

McGonagall stopped by the next day to inform me that I would no longer have detention. Instead, she told me to enjoy the rest of the year and to perhaps use a bit of time to study. Jay was delighted, though he frowned a bit upon hearing that, should I have some free time next year, Madame Scamander had "really appreciated my help".

"Now you have some more time to study," Don said cheerily.

"Yeah!" I agreed.

"Dear Merlin, more studying?" Roxy asked, rolling her eyes.

"It's just an OWL," Dom said.

* * *

"Phoenix."

I turned a page in my book.

"Phoenix."

I reached across the table, grabbing a piece of parchment.

"Phoeee."

I ducked a pillow and re-read a paragraph in my notes.

"Phoenix!"

I groaned, looking up from my book. "What James?"

"I need your help."

I sighed, tucking my notes into my book and shutting it. I then gave my brother my full attention. "Yes James?"

"If you were Coleen, what would you consider a big romantic gesture?"

I shook my head, turning back to my book. "No. I'm not helping you; you need to get over her. Come on James, you go through five different girls in a week, don't make Coleen one of them."

"I don't want to! I'm your brother Phoenix, shouldn't you be helping me get the girl?"

"Not with the way you treat girls," I felt a little sympathy as my brother ducked his head, looking slightly abashed. "Look James, prove to me that you can treat her differently. Then maybe we'll see."

James nodded, a determined glint in his eyes.

I smiled at him, reaching for my quill.

Beside James, Holland offered me a grin, opening his mouth to speak.

Oh boy.

"Oh, and Phoenix?" James said hesitantly, quite effectively cutting Holland off. I looked to him yet again. "Don't work too hard. It's just an OWL, after all."

* * *

A few days later we were having breakfast in the Great Hall. James had been suspiciously jittery all morning, and I couldn't help but wonder what he was up to. I was hoping that he was simply planning a prank on the Slytherins or maybe the Hufflepuffs, but I wasn't too sure. Knowing my brother, this had everything to do with a certain red haired Ravenclaw.

"So, what are you thinking he's up to?" Roxy asked as she sat down.

"Hopefully pranking someone," I responded.

"Hopefully…"

"It's been awhile since you and Fred have pulled a big prank," Lily reasoned halfheartedly. "Maybe he's just filling that void?"

We all nodded uncertainly.

"Guys!" Al whisper-shouted.

Heads snapped up as Coleen entered the Hall.

James shifted slightly in his seat.

Coleen began walking towards her table.

Dom sucked in a breath.

James reached for a piece of toast.

Coleen began to lower herself into her chair.

Hugo's head turned from her to James so quickly I thought he would get whiplash.

James began to butter his toast.

Coleen sat.

We collectively held our breath, waiting…

James took a bite of his toast.

Coleen smiled at the person across from her, pouring herself some tea…

And nothing happened.

We all breathed sighs of relief.

Breakfast continued as usual, James' odd behavior at the beginning of the meal slowly being forgotten. It had almost completely slipped our minds by the time most people were finished eating, and we rose to leave the hall without so much as a hint of worry.

Coleen exited the hall just before us.

And that was when the world exploded.

Glitter blasted from the sides of the corridor, red, silver, white and gold shooting at poor Coleen, who flung her arms up to protect her face.

Fireworks exploded, much too loud and too large for the small space.

Little cupids appeared from the air, shooting rather sharp arrows at Coleen, who dodged as best she could, a panicked look on her face.

Roses fell from the ceiling, full of thorns and falling much too heavily around the Ravenclaw.

And then, to top it all off, a rainbow began to form above the whole scene, only to freeze halfway across the span of the ceiling and instead dissolve into rain.

And the glitter, we found out, was waterproof.

James stepped forward, looking very nervous.

"Coleen, I'm so sorry! It wasn't supposed to be like this, I don't know what I did wrong! I was trying to-"

"Save it."

Coleen's face was very, very red. Beside me, Fred let out a low whistle. "She looks like you," He muttered.

"Col I-" James tried again, only to be cut off twice as quickly as he had been the first time.

"I. Said. Save. It. Just don't," Coleen snapped. James looked scared. "You think that this is funny? It's not. You're dead Potter. Watch your back."

With that she turned on heel and walked off.

"Damn she's scary when she's mad," Al laughed, flicking a bit of glitter off of Lily's shoulder.

"JAMES SIRIUS POTTER!" McGonagall roared from behind us.

Fred and I both jumped instinctively.

"That's our cue," He laughed. We both rushed from the corridor before she could force her way through the throngs of students piled in the Hall's doorway.

"We need to do that again, and soon," I laughed.

"Yeah, we definitely do," He agreed, slinging an arm over my shoulder.

"Maybe after my OWL, on the last day or two," I said thoughtfully.

"Or maybe sooner. You know Nix, it's-"

I cut him off, pulling my wand and sticking it in his face. "I swear, if you say that it's just an OWL I will kill you."

Fred laughed, shoving my wand away. "Come on, I'm not that stupid. I was just going to say that it's a good idea to relax every once and a while. If you work too hard you'll fry your brains. And then we'll have to stick you in a ward with Lockhart!"

I laughed merrily. Fred always knew how to diffuse my anger before it truly set in.

"James Potter! You come back here!"

"Run James!" Lily yelled from behind us.

Fred and I sprang apart as James tore between us, trailing glitter and water as he went.

"James!" McGonagall screamed, rushing after him, panting slightly.

"Run Minnie!" I called.

"Go James go!" Fred cheered.

We cracked up, looking at each other in amazement.

"Only in Hogwarts!"

* * *

"Phoenix. Come to bed love," Roxy coaxed.

"Rox I can't! I have an OWL in two days! Just let me study tonight, and I promise I'll come to bed early tomorrow. I'll need my sleep tomorrow…" I rambled half hysterically.

"Okay, alright Phoe. Just don't stay up too late, okay?" She said gently.

I nodded, turning back to my book and notes. Eventually the Common Room cleared out, but I remained stationary, reading my notes repeatedly.

I struggled to remain awake, but exhaustion was setting in.

 _I stood suddenly, my books and notes falling to the floor. I stepped over then, hardly glancing their way…_

* * *

"Phoenix. Phoenix wake up!" A voice laughed.

I moaned, rolling over to bury my face in my pillow.

 _Thump_.

I groaned as I hit the floor, my face only slightly cushioned by a set of hands.

I sat up, looking blearily at the owner of the hands. "Morning Nix," Freddy chuckled.

I looked at my surroundings, taking in the books and papers scattered around the couch. I pressed a hand against my pounding head.

"Shite Phoenix, how late did you stay up?" James asked.

"I don't know," I croaked, my throat feeling like someone had run sandpaper down it. "My head aches though."

"You don't look so great," Dom said, leaning down and pressing a hand to my forehead. "I think I'm going to take you to the Hospital Wing after breakfast."

My family looked at me, seeming to wait for my usual protests, but I could only nod. A Pepper-Up potion and a nap sounded amazing.

"But first, breakfast?" Freddy asked. I nodded.

The walk to the Great Hall seemed to take forever. I kept getting really dizzy, and James actually offered to carry me several times. Finally we reached the Hall, where we quickly crossed to our table.

It was then that we noticed the silence.

We turned almost as a whole, looking towards our schoolmates, expecting hundreds of eyes on us.

But no one was looking at us. Heads were turned mournfully downward, breakfasts lying untouched before folded hands. A few of the younger students appeared to be crying, backs bent as older students tried to offer comfort through pursed lips.

We rushed to our table, sitting next to our cousins and siblings and looking around expectantly.

Lily sighed, pushing the paper at us.

My eyes widened, and I felt a wave of nausea.

 **Diagon Alley Attacked!**

 **By Rita Skeeter**

 _Last night Diagon Alley was attacked!_

 _One of our World's most important areas was viciously attacked by masked creatures last night!_

 _Horrors like our World hasn't experienced since the Dark Days took place in the very center of our realm. Homes were burned, stores were destroyed, and lives were ruined._

 _The masked terrors wreaked havoc for several hours last night. The Aurors were unable to reach the Alley, and spells seemed to have no effect on the beings. The devastating attack bore no casualties, but several witches and wizards complained of feeling very pained, and some were unable to speak through the memories of what they suffered._

 _The creatures were masked, cloaked, and inhuman. They bore no wands, but they seemed to have no problems with (wordless) spell casting. Their spells where powerful and impossible to block._

 _What are these creatures?_

 _Will our World ever be the same again?_

 _Are we safe?_

 _Will we ever be safe again?_

"Wow," Fred whispered, rolling up the paper. "She certainly has a talent for theatrics."

"Fred!" Roxy hissed.

We glanced around, noticing the stares we were receiving. It seemed that, in the silent Hall, Fred's whisper had carried.

"Phoenix?" James said, concern leaking into his tone. "Are you okay? You really don't look good."

I ruined Diagon Alley.

I helped burn down homes.

I destroyed stores; places that the students had been going to buy their supplies for ages.

I ruined lives.

I staggered out of the Hall, hardly noticing Jay, Fred, and Dom rushing after me.

"Stay here, we'll get her," I vaguely heard Dom say.

"Phoenix, are you okay?" Jay asked.

The walls were closing in.

I ruined Diagon Alley.

I was a masked creature.

The room went dark.

"Phoenix?"

"Nix!"

* * *

O

O

O

O

O

"She'll be fine, don't worry about a thing."

"Wazzu huh?" I mumbled attractively.

"Phoenix!" Dom yelled, tackling me into a hug.

I yelped, smacking my elbow on the side table as I struggled to wrap my arms around my cousin.

"Phoenix, how are you feeling?" Jay asked, looking concerned.

"Like shite," I muttered, not caring that Madame Scamander was listening. She and Professor McGonagall had long since stopped taking points for my swearing, mainly because Gryffindor would have zero House points if they hadn't.

"We were so worried, that whole thing with the paper, and then you…" I tuned Dom out, suddenly remembering the reason I had fainted.

"-Phoenix?" I snapped back to attention upon hearing my name. I looked about confusedly as my cousins and boyfriend left the Wing.

"Mad-Luna?" I asked, blinking back a sudden onslaught of tears.

"Wait one moment," She said softly, offering me what I recognized to be a Calming Draught.

We sat quietly until McGonagall walked in through the back door to the Wing.

"I told everyone that I wanted them to finish breakfast and spend the rest of the day writing home and relaxing. We're going to continue with OWLs and NEWTs, seeing as no one was hurt. There were some protests, but they quieted after I explained that our only other option was to test over the summer," She told us. She looked just as tired as I felt.

"Phoenix?" Madame Scamander said softly, brushing a piece of hair from my face.

"Did…did we do that?" I whimpered.

"No," McGonagall said firmly. "Or at least, we didn't do it consciously. We need to learn when these things are happening, so that we can learn how to stop it, and warn others. But until then, you just need to not worry about it. You have an OWL tomorrow, so you need to worry about rest, studying, and getting focused."

I nodded, feeling slightly better. Madame Scamander tapped the potion, and I drank it quickly. The effects were quick, and I was rather calm as McGonagall breezed out of the room. My visitors were welcomed back in, where Scamander told them that I had passed out from a panic attack, and that I simply needed some rest and no stress. They were happy to oblige, taking me directly back to my room and ordering me to bed. I slept until late, waking up only for dinner. Then I was forced back to bed, where Roxy allotted me a few extra hours of studying, then demanded I get some more rest.

I woke up the following morning ready and determined.

I was going to ace my OWL.

* * *

"That was dreadful!" Nikki wailed.

"I think I failed. I actually, definitely failed," Don panted.

"We've only taken one, come on guys," Arnold laughed.

"I'm done!" I hollered, grinning at the jealous looks that I received.

"Lucky you, too bad you still have the rest to take next year," Jay laughed. I pouted at him.

"Hey Nix!" Fred yelled, running up and wrapping his arm around my waist. "How are you feeling?"

"Great! I'm done!" I cheered.

"How was it?" Roxy gasped.

"Was it terrible? Do you think you should have studied more? Do you think you failed? Oh, it would be so terrible if you failed," Rose fretted.

"Oh hush Rosie, I'm sure she did fine. You did do fine, right Phoe?" Lily checked.

"I'll bet she failed," James laughed.

"Oh shut up! What if she really did do terribly?" Al hissed.

"Guys, guys," I said, holding up my hands. "Relax."

"You…did alright?" Fred asked.

I laughed, "It was simple. After all, it was just an OWL."

"Oh! Nice Phoe."

"Sure, you can say it now."

"You bint!"

I laughed, winking at Nikki as she jokingly shouted the last one.

* * *

I boarded the train feeling slightly better about the events at Diagon Alley. I had worried about it a lot in the last few weeks, but McGonagall and Scamander had been more than willing to talk about it with me, and I was reassured.

"I can't believe we're done!" Nikki cheered.

"Time for some sleep," Don agreed.

We settled in for the long ride home, completely ready for summer.

Suddenly, Holland stuck his head in our compartment.

"Hey Phoenix, do you want to come down to our compartment for a while?" He asked, his voice sounding oddly deep and scratchy.

"Oh, I'm actually rather comfortable here, but you're welcome to join us. And is your throat all right? I've got a peppermint somewhere if you'd like," I told him.

Nikki snorted, and I stared at her in confusion. She tried to stop laughing, but she took one look at me, digging in my bag for a candy, and lost it again. She turned her face into Ben's side, shoulders shaking, and I noticed that he too was having a hard time keeping a straight face. In fact, Jay was shaking suspiciously from behind me as well.

"What's so funny?" I asked them.

"Nothing," Ben said, laughing all the while.

Holland was glaring at them. "My throat is fine, thank you Phoenix." He said stiffly.

"Well, if you're sure. It sounded a bit off."

Ben lost it as well, and Arnold fell on the floor he was laughing so hard. Don was crying from laughing, and Fred was virtually hysterical. Jay pressed his face into my hair to muffle his giggles.

"Look," Holland ground out, looking a bit irritated, "I thought you might like to go back to mine instead. It's empty, if you want to…?"

Wait, was he suggesting what I think he was?

All laugher stopped in the compartment.

"Look Holland, I've put up with you putting the moves on my girlfriend for two years, but I'm done. She's not a whore; don't even suggest that she is. I get that it must suck that she's not available, but she isn't, so leave her the hell alone. Otherwise, I'll have to fucking make you."

For a moment I could only stare at Jay in surprise. Then I realized what he had said.

"Wait, you've been hitting on me?" I asked, stunned.

"Yes I've been hitting on you! How the bloody hell have you not noticed?" Holland yelled back.

Jay was laughing hysterically. "Damn Holland, you're so bad at flirting the girl didn't even know that's what you were doing!"

I was still trying to figure out how exactly he had been flirting with me. I hadn't even figured out how to tell when Roxy and Dalton were flirting until a few weeks before they broke up.

"What the bloody hell did you think I was getting at woman?" Holland demanded.

"I don't know! That's what I've been trying to figure out! And just for the record, I'm not interested. Sorry, but Jay is the only guy I'd ever look at like that."

"Obviously!" Holland snapped. He turned and stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

"Thank you for defending my honor," I told my boyfriend. "I honestly had no idea that he was putting the moves on me."

"Of course Love. And trust me, I knew," Jay suddenly let out a wicked cackle, a smirk forming on his face. "When you were offering him a peppermint, I could not stop laughing! He was trying to be seductive!"

My jaw dropped, my mouth forming an 'O'.

My companions roared with laugher for the rest of the trip.

* * *

 **Again, I'm SO sorry this has taken so long to post. Thank you so much for waiting!**

 **I absolutely loved the conversation between Phoenix and her grandparents. I never intended to write it, and I didn't even add it in until I was proofreading this chapter. And even then I had intended for it to be another "it's just an OWL" scene. But it just flowed, and I'm in love with it.**

 **I got four reviews last chapter! Four! Thank you!**

laxgirl1415 **: I'm so glad you enjoyed it! And I have their future all planned out; hopefully you'll enjoy it. : )**

Son of Whitebeard **: Yeah, I could see how that would come across as awkward and honestly, it was supposed to. It was Hugo's first time coming out to anyone but his boyfriend, and it was to his family to boot. All things considered, I found the awkwardness rather appropriate. Hopefully you did too. : )**

scrumptiousinternetllama **: I've got Dom and Vic's future all planned out, we'll get it rolling a bit here in our upcoming chapter. So glad that the delay was forgivable, hopefully this one was as well. Thank you for the lovely review!**

SPDrAnger006 **: Thank you! I'm so glad that you're enjoying this story. Hopefully the wait didn't put you off too much. ; ) Enjoy this chapter! Xx**

 **And finally, a big thank you to you! Thank you for reading, reviewing, following and favoriting.**

 _ **A/N: I don't think that anyone should receive an alert when I edit a chapter, but just in case: sorry for the false alarm! Just going back to fix a few errors.**_


	17. Marriage And Maturity

**Author's Note: I am so, so sorry for the terribly long wait. This was due to a combination of terrible writers block, a super busy schedule, and some commitments that needed my full attention. I can't promise that my updates are going to be as regular as they used to be, but this long of a wait won't happen again, I promise. Thank you to everyone who's willing to put up with my extended absences. Also a special thank you to my reviewers, you lot are incredibly sweet and I appreciate that you take the time to let me know what you think.**

 **I do not own Harry Potter; if I did, Ron would have been more than a source of comic relief in the movies. I mean, he was still an awesome character and all, but he was brilliant in the books.**

* * *

 **Since it's been so long:**

 **Previously in The Fall of The Phoenix:**

 _ **Just An OWL:**_

"… _there will come a day when you wish you had spent more time with them…" [Grandmum]_

" _I ruined Diagon Alley." [Phoenix]_

"… _we didn't (attack Diagon Alley) consciously. We need to learn when these things are happening, so that we can learn how to stop it, and warn others. But until then, you just need to not worry about it." [McGonagall]_

" _I was going to ace my OWL." [Phoenix]_

" _Was it terrible? Do you think you should have studied more? Do you think you failed? Oh, it would be so terrible if you failed," Rose fretted._

" _We settled in for the long ride home, completely ready for summer."_

* * *

 **Marriage And Maturity**

* * *

Absolute chaos.

This is a term that our clan would, in the past, use to describe a typical day in our lives.

After the preparations for Victoire and Teddy's wedding, however, the word 'chaos' had taken on an entirely new meaning.

For the first weeks of summer, the house seemed rather quiet. I enjoyed practicing some Quidditch plays, spending some quality time with my siblings (read: stealing each other's things, waking each other up at ungodly hours of the day, and beating the shite out of each other for trivial things), and sleeping.

Then my OWL result came in.

That's when the chaos began.

* * *

"Phoenix! Phoe!"

I sighed, jumping out of the shower and yanking on clothes. I then ran down the stairs, my overalls still partially undone, twisting my wet hair up into a dragon twist as I went.

I expected to find my sister in some sort of tiff with our brothers, for over the course of the summer this had happened fairly often. When this happened, I was always ready to side with my sister (or Al on occasion, though he and my idiot twin had become much closer, and therefor typically took each other's sides). Throughout the beginning of the summer, Lily and I were forced to fend off various lame pranks from our brothers. We would then proceed to show them what a real prank was, often with help from Freddy. This typically resulted in a war of sorts; with the looser having to do whatever punishment Mum assigned us. Fred was delighted, for not only were we getting in some major pranking practice, but he considered this "training" for Lily, whom he had declared to be our future successor. Uncle George was also loving it, but I had only found this out through Roxy, for he was still having issues being around poor Fred, and where Fred was I had a tendency to be as well.

I was thus confused to find that my siblings were not fighting, but simply staring anxiously at the table.

"If something happened to Mum's table, it was Teddy," I declared, tying off my hair as I spoke.

"Don't freak out Phoe," James started, "but it's not the table that we're looking at…"

I stared at my siblings with mounting suspicion.

"Look, just keep a calm head, okay?" Al said cautiously.

Lily reached behind her and held up a letter. The Hogwarts' crest on the stamp had my eyes widening.

"My OWL results?" I asked fearfully. My siblings nodded.

"Look, we know you had to have done well, so don't be too worried. Would you rather wait until Mum and Dad return home from work to open it, or do you want to just open it now?" Al asked.

"Let's open it now. We can owl them if it's bad," I decided.

James nodded, grabbing my arm and leading me to the living room. I offered him a smile, for while he could be a bit thick at times, I appreciated when my brother looked after me a bit.

Not that I would ever admit it aloud.

We sat on the sofa, staring down the letter that Lils had placed on the coffee table.

"Just think, this time next year there will be two letters," Al said, glancing at James and I.

"Merlin," James said, turning to face me, "If I'm this nervous about your OWL, despite knowing that you did spectacularly, I don't think I want to know how I'll feel when they're my results as well."

I offered him a small smile.

We turned back to the letter.

"I'm going to open it," I said finally.

I picked it up, glancing at my siblings.

"3," Al said.

"2," Lils counted.

"1!" James finished.

I carefully broke the seal, lifting up the envelopes' edge. I pulled out the letter and gently set it in my lap.

 **ORDINARY WIZARDING LEVEL RESULTS**

 _ **Pass Grades:**_

Outstanding (O)

Exceeds Expectations (E)

Acceptable (A)

 _ **Fail Grades:**_

Poor (P)

Dreadful (D)

Troll (T)

 _Phoenix Annette Potter has achieved:_

Charms: O

 **Headmistress: Minerva McGonagall**

 _(Former Member of The Order of The Phoenix, Registered Animagus, Honored Survivor and Warrior in the Battle of Hogwarts)_

I stared at the letter with shock for a moment before James; anxious to know how I did, tore it from my hands and read it.

"An O! Outstanding! My little sister got an O on her OWL!" He cheered. I grinned, too cheerful to tell him off for the 'little sister' comment.

"Congrats!" Al yelled.

"Phoenix got an O! Phoenix got an O!" Lily sang, hopping around the living room.

I leapt off the couch, rushing over to the fireplace. We typically weren't allowed to use Floo without permission, but I knew my parents wouldn't be upset this time, especially since I wouldn't actually be going anywhere.

"Number 93, Diagon Alley!" I yelled, putting my head into the fire.

"Fred! Someone's on the Floo!" I heard Roxy yell.

"Roxy! Freddy!" I called.

"Phoenix!" Roxy squealed, running to sit in front of the fire.

"Hey Nix," Fred said, hopping down the stairs and into the living room. I rolled my eyes as I took in his ruffled appearance.

"Experimenting again?" I laughed.

Roxy gave Fred the evil eye as he grinned and opened his mouth excitedly. He noticed his sister's withering glare and seemed to change what he was saying just before speaking.

"Erm…enough about me, what about you?"

Roxy turned to face me again. "Yeah, what's wrong?"

I took a deep breath before shouting, "My OWL result came in!"

Fred smirked as his sister shot forward in anticipation and nearly fell off of the sofa. She recovered quickly before blurting out, "Oh my Merlin! How did you do?"

I smirked a bit, then responded, "I got an O!"

"Yes!" Roxy screamed.

"We knew you would!" Fred cheered.

I laughed. "Thank you, thank you! Now if you lot don't mind I have to go back before my siblings blow up the house. Do me a favor and don't tell anyone just yet, I'm planning on telling my parents when they get home and I don't want them to be the last ones to find out."

My cousins both nodded before waving me off cheerily. I grinned as my head was sucked back to my home. I sat back from the fireplace; soot falling from my hair, to find my siblings had disappeared from the room.

"Oh bugger," I mumbled. I cautiously moved across the room and into the hallway. I crept towards the kitchen, knowing that, with Weasley blood running through our veins, this was a likely place for my siblings to be.

Sure enough, I opened the door to find my siblings gathered in the room. To my horror, James was wielding a knife and looming over Lily, looking quite angry.

"James!" I screamed, darting across the room and grasping his wrist. I stared at him, shock written across my face.

"Phoe-" James took in the look on my face and cracked up. Behind me, I heard Lily and Al join in. "Phoe," James continued after he got himself under control, "Come on. What kind of person do you think I am?"

"I-I…but you…and Lily…" I looked between the two, thoroughly confused, yet relieved.

Lily giggled. "I was trying to teach James to cut carrots. He keeps nicking his fingers though. I swear, you two are the only Weasleys who can't cook." She rolled her eyes.

From behind her, Al chuckled. "Not true. Uncle George is just as hopeless."

Lily hummed her approval.

"Really though," Al said, "It is a bit sad. Even Fred and Teddy can cook. And Ted has trouble walking at times."

We all roared with laugher. Poor Teddy, the bloke was usually the most coordinated person I knew, but occasionally he would get what the parents would call "Tonks-Legs", at which point he had trouble crossing a room without tripping or knocking something over.

James and I set up the table while our siblings made lunch. Afterwards, we quickly washed the dishes and were in the process of running outside for a Quidditch match when we heard the crack of apparition.

I let out a yell as I collided with a body, ripping my wand out as I fell. I rolled away from the creature and pointed my wand at it just in time to have it do the same to me.

I realized with a start that the thing I had collided with had been my oldest brother. He jumped with shock as he realized the same, then he grabbed my arm, wheeling me about and dragging me back towards the house.

"What are you lot doing outside? Are you insane? Get back inside. Lily, Al where are your bloody wands. Go get them," Teddy ordered, shoving me inside and turning back to the door. He shut and locked it tightly.

Lily and Al, looking a bit frightened, rushed upstairs to get their wands. Suddenly I felt a slight burning sensation from my wrist, and I noticed James peeking at his from the corner of my eye. I glanced down at my wrist to see a message scrolling across the bracelet I wore.

I looked at Teddy, who was busy muttering various spells and curses, then exchanged glances with James. We both read the message quickly.

 _M: What's going on? Dad just burst in the house and yelled at us to run up to our rooms and grab our wands._

The bracelet burned again as Molly received a response.

 _Lil: No clue. Ted just ran in and ordered the same thing._

 _Al: Think it's connected to the incident in D. Alley?_

I winced at the reminder. I had shoved all memories of the attack to the back of my mind, but I still woke up quite often in a blind panic after a wretched nightmare caused by the incident. I didn't remember a bit of it, but my mind was more than willing to make up memories for me.

 _Ro: Mum came home, said that Dad and Uncle H. will be working in Auror D. until later. Expect Aunt G. home soon though._

 _H: Also, Mum's hair is like, the size of the Burrow. LOL._

 _Ro: Hugo be serious._

 _H: I am serious._

I heard James laugh softly from beside me, and I rolled my eyes as he pressed his wrist to respond to Hugo.

 _Jm: No, I'm Sirius. You're John._

 _Dm: Shut up James. This is important. Vic just flooed home, she's looking very worried. Said Mum and Dad are on their way as well._

I made a move to reply, but Teddy suddenly turned around before I could. James and I both dropped our arms, for, while we had made a bracelet for Ted as well, we didn't think now was the best time to give it to him. We wanted answers.

"What's taking Lily and Albus so long?" Teddy muttered, moving towards the stairs just as our youngest siblings came rushing down.

"What's going on?" Lily asked, wide-eyed.

"Go sit in the living room," He said as someone knocked on the door.

I looked at James, remembering what Rose had said about Mum coming home.

"It's probably just Mum," James said dismissively.

Ted turned around, looking angry. "Go. Sit. Now." He demanded.

We exchanged glances, then crept around the corner and leant up against the wall to listen.

"Who is it?" Came Teddy's voice.

"It's your mother, Ginevra Weasley."

This was bad.

"Prove it."

"When you were ten you came into our room on a full moon, very sick. You were terrified, for we had told you all about your father's lycanthropy just recently and you were just getting ready to turn eleven, to receive your Hogwarts letter. You were so scared that you were going to turn into a werewolf. You ended up having ague, we cured you with a spoonful of ashwinder eggs and a few days of rest, but you never would let us tell your siblings. You were so scared that they would judge you for who your father was, and even after we told them about Moony you had us keep our silence. You didn't want to talk about it, you said."

I was floored, and we barely came to our senses in enough time to dart into the living room. As it was, when they entered moments later, both Teddy and Mum looked rather suspicious. Luckily, James played off our shock as fear, and they were none the wiser to our eavesdropping.

"What's going on?" James asked.

He quickly wrapped an arm around Lily's shoulders, drawing her into his side. Catching on to the ploy, I reached over very subtly and grasped Al's hand. I gave it a light squeeze, and he returned the gesture.

"Well…" Mum started, only to stop again. I felt my tie burn on my wrist again, but I ignored it as we waited for our Mother's explanation.

"Diagon Alley was attacked again. It was bad. Lots of people ended up in St. Mungo's. No one has died, but they aren't sure everyone's going to make it through the night either," Teddy said simply.

"Teddy Remus!" Mum gasped.

"What?" Teddy asked. "You said when you were younger you used to hate people keeping things from you. Well I hated it too. I'm sure they dislike it just as much. In fact, I know they do, I used to be a part of the "out-of-the-loop-group". It sucks…"

I tuned out my brother's rambling. My mind was reeling. I was completely and utterly horrified at what had happened, especially after I had heard Dad and Uncle Ron discussing the new security they had put in place at Diagon Alley. But I was also relieved, so relieved, that there was absolutely no way I had been involved this time. The attack had clearly just happened very recently, and I had been with my siblings for the entirety of the day, save only when I had been in the shower, and I had been in for a mere ten minutes. The relief coursing through my veins also brought a deep guilt, for how could I feel something so positive when something so terrible had happened…

And then it hit me.

"FRED! ROXY!" I screamed, flying off of the sofa. I was brought to a slight halt as I realized that Al was still clutching my hand in a death grip, but I quickly returned to my panicked flight towards the floo.

"Phoenix no!" Teddy yelled, jumping forward and grabbing me about the waist just as I reached for the floo powder. "They're fine, they're fine! They were at lunch; Uncle George took them out to lunch in Hogsmeade and Aunt Angelina was at work." He said soothingly. I relaxed in his arms, and he quickly pulled me to his chest in a hug.

"This is why we tell people these things with a bit of tact," Mum scolded.

"Uncle George has been really lucky, hasn't he?" Al asked quietly. I offered him an apologetic glance as I took in his new seat on the floor. I must have pulled him right off of the couch in my haste. "I'm fine Phoe," He said, noticing my gaze.

"Yes he has. The enchantments on his shop kept him and the entire place safe throughout the first attack, and they kept the store intact throughout the second," Mum agreed.

"When will Dad be home?" Asked Lily.

"He and Uncle Ron are working on helping clean up Diagon Alley a bit, so they'll probably be home late," Mum told her.

"Yeah, actually, I need to get going. Dad let me run home to make sure that you lot were protected, but I need to be back soon and I still want to run by Shell Cottage to make sure that Vic's okay," Ted said.

"Be careful," I told him.

Teddy offered me a smile, then stood, kissing Mum, Lily, and I on our foreheads and clasping Al and James on the shoulder, before walking out.

"Lily, be a dear and run to the kitchen and put some tea on. Al, could you grab some blankets from the closet? And James, Phoenix…don't blow anything up. George is bringing Fred and Roxy over before he heads back to the shop," Mum said.

Uncle George arrived, dropped his kids off, and disappeared again with a flurry of half-hearted jokes and lots of hugs on Roxy and Lily's end. Fred and I claimed the sofa, where we were quickly joined by Roxy and James. Al and Lily curled up in an armchair, Lily lying sideways across Al's lap with her feet dangling off the arm of the chair. Mum bustled about for a bit, owling various family members and flooing all over, before finally dropping into the other armchair. We all struggled to stay awake as day slipped into night, and we had just about drifted off to sleep when the crack of apparition had us scrambling to get to the door.

"Stay back, stay back!" Mum yelled as she shoved between us towards the entryway. She glanced through the peephole, a muggle invention that Aunt Hermione had enforced on the houses of all of our family and friends, before raising her wand. "Harry, where did you take me for our first anniversary?"

From outside, we heard Dad respond, "I took you to Paris. We climbed all the way to the top of the Eiffel Tower, then we came back down and ate pastries in a café. Then we rode in a boat out onto the water and watched the sunset before Apparating home."

A little smile graced Mum's face. "Ang, how did Fr-" The smile dropped off of her face immediately, and she stuttered slightly before asking, "What was your biggest concern before getting married?"

I could hear the smirk in Aunt Angelina's voice as she responded, but I could also hear a hint of sadness that I guessed had to do with whatever Mum had been about to ask. "I was worried George would pass out with anxiety before I could start down the aisle."

"Oi!" Uncle George shouted half-heartedly.

Mum let out a little laugh and opened the door. Aunt Angelina rushed in, kissing everyone on the cheeks. Uncle George and Dad followed, and I felt Fred wilt slightly as his dad hardly gave him so much as a pat on the head. I clenched my fist in anger, and released it only when I felt James lay a soothing hand on my arm.

"Let's have something to eat, then we can discuss what happened," Mum suggested.

* * *

"They came bursting into the Alley, spells flying this way and that. It was instant chaos. People were screaming and trying to run, only there was no place to go. I was calling for back up, but the spells kept getting blocked by something. We were flinging spells at them but nothing was having any effect. The spells they were casting were bloody terrifying. Anyone who tried to stand up to them dropped to the ground in agony…"

I was eying my dad carefully as he said this, but, for reasons I couldn't understand, the _Ker_ hadn't put my father under their control. I wasn't sure how I knew, or why they wouldn't want The-Boy-Who-Lived as their slave, but I was certain that it was true.

"…And then-" My father was cut off by a banging at the door.

Mum immediately jumped up, gesturing for us to stay in our seats. Dad quickly followed Mum to the door, which was just visible from where we sat in the kitchen. Fred leaned forward from his seat next to me on the counter, blocking me from any possible attacks but refraining from blocking my view. I placed my foot on the door to the cabinet below us; ready to swing it open should any spells fly towards Lily or Al, who sat on the floor next to it. I noticed Uncle George wave his wand silently in the direction of Mum and Dad, and knew that a Shield charm was now in place around my parents.

Mum pointed her wand at the door, ready to ask a security question, and we all froze; tense, waiting.

"Who's there?" She demanded.

"Teddy Lupin-Potter and Victoire Weasley," Came Ted's voice in response.

"Where did you get the idea for the theme for your wedding?" Mum asked.

"We were in Italy, Ted was on a small mission for the Aurors, it was the first he had ever been allowed on his own," Vic started.

"I had just completed it when Vic surprised me by dropping into the Italian Ministry. We wanted to go out for lunch, but Vic said we needed to find the real-deal."

"So we went to a little island off the coast of Naples, they call it Capri. We ate the most amazing lunch of fresh pasta and cheese, then we decided to explore for a bit."

"We ended up finding a little bed and breakfast that had a room open for that night, and we rented the room so that we could stay a bit longer. That night we went out to explore."

"It was the prettiest thing we had ever seen, with lights strung up across cobblestone alleys and the smell of lemons hanging in the air. The food was amazing, the atmosphere was great, and the people were so kind."

"We knew that we wanted to recreate something like that for our wedding," Teddy finished simply.

Lils, Roxy, and I were staring at each other with wide eyes, each undoubtedly thinking about how terribly romantic the story was. Fred noticed this and gave me a nudge, trying to "knock the girl out of me" as he did on occasion. I rolled my eyes at him and grimaced as he ruffled my hair in return. Mum quickly opened the door, letting in Ted and Vic before snapping it shut again.

"Vic!" Lily squealed launching herself up off of the ground to tackle our oldest cousin in a hug.

Beside her, Teddy pouted at me and I couldn't help but laugh as I jumped off of the counter and flung myself at my brother. "Teddy!" I mimicked Lily's squeal.

"Are you alright?" Mum asked the two, checking them over. Both nodded, and accepted the tea that Aunt Angelina offered them. We quickly retook our seats, Ted choosing to stand behind Vic's chair with his hands behind her shoulders rather than to sit. Lily and I exchanged looks at this, for it was something that our parents did often. Mum said that Dad must have subconsciously picked it up from Grandmum and Grandpa.

We listened as they discussed the events of Diagon Alley further. When they had discussed everything they knew and were starting to repeat themselves, I asked Mum if I could go owl Jay. I hadn't been able to before, as Mum was using the owls to mail family, but I now had the chance and was positively itching to do it. She told me I could, and ordered Al and Lily to bed before going back to the conversation.

I quickly ran up the stairs, ducking into my room and grabbing some parchment and a quill.

 _Blue,_

 _I hope you are all doing well. I know that you're elsewhere for Quidditch; otherwise I would be far more concerned. Either way, I hope that you and your family are safe. Everyone here is doing well; no one was injured, though some are a bit shaken up. None of my cousins were in the area._

 _Thinking about you, please stay safe._

 _Xx Wings._

Teddy had suggested that we come up with code names after the attack on Hogwarts, and we had of course listened. Jay was Blue after the blue jay, I was Wings because of my own name, Fred was teasingly donned the name Twister, after the chaotic whirlwind, and Lily was simply Flower. The names weren't terribly complicated, but they were easy to remember, which is what we needed.

I returned downstairs to find that everyone had gathered in the living room. I smiled slightly as I noticed the wedding magazines spread about.

"I figured that this was a much nicer topic of conversation," Vic said, blushing.

"Sounds good to me," I told her, sliding onto the spot next to her on the couch. She beamed, happy to have a bit of company. The adults and Ted were all standing off to the side, still whispering to each other. Lily and Roxy were reading an article in a Witch-Wed Weekly. Fred, James, and Al had gathered up some quilts and pillows and were setting up a place for us kids to sleep by the fire. I couldn't help but smile slightly as this brought back memories of Christmas Hols at the Burrow and thunderstorms from when Lily was little.

"We're going to have it at sunset, with the lights set up across the aisle. The flowers are going to be little lemon blossoms, like these in this picture," Vic told me, showing me a picture as she spoke. "We also want to have limoncello rather than champagne during the reception. But…I sort of feel like something is missing…"

I was staring at the picture she had handed me.

"Vic?"

"Yeah?"

"These scarves that are being sold in the background, were they sold all over?"

"Yes they were, why?"

"Well," I glanced up at her, "Don't you think it would be a nice touch to have everyone in the wedding party wear one? We could even find a pretty one and tie it around your waist."

Her eyes grew slightly wide. "Oh my Merlin that's perfect!" She threw her arms around me. "Annie you're a genius!"

The adults glanced over at her squeal. I could see that Teddy was checking to make sure his fiancée wasn't about to start crying again, and he looked very relieved when she sprang back, eyes dry, to rush over and explain my idea to him. I could tell from the dreamy smile on my brother's face that, while he truly was listening and liked that idea, he would agree to anything Vic proposed so long as she was happy.

"Phoe, look there's a quiz in here to determine what your dream wedding is," Roxy called me over.

"I think I already know what sort of wedding I may like," I said.

Lily giggled. "Does it take place on a Quidditch field?"

"Do you get to fly off into the sunset on broomstick?" Roxy joined in.

"Pants instead of a wedding dress?"

"Barefoot?"

Lily got a bit of a wicked smirk, "Would you happen to be marrying our favorite Scot?"

I laughed; tussling Lily's hair and giving Roxy a light nudge with my shoulder. "Merlin's beard you two, just give me the bloody magazine and we'll see if it can guess it."

They roared with laughter, pushing the quiz towards me. I took it and the quill Lily offered, crossing of the questions as quickly as I could. Then, uncertain of how to get my results, I glanced at Roxy.

"Just tap it with your wand," She told me. I nodded, tapping it lightly, then let out a sound of protest as it was wrenched from my hands before I could see my results.

"Aha!" Lily exclaimed. "Let's see what we've got…"

"Huh," Roxy said, a bit disappointedly.

"What?" I asked, wondering if it had given some horrible prediction; said that I was going to live alone with a hundred Kneazles or something.

"I guess it doesn't work," Lily said with a frown.

"Why not?"

"That's sort of disappointing," Roxy said, moving to shut the magazine.

"What does it say?" I demanded.

Roxy picked up the quiz. "Well, it doesn't sound like you at all."

I rolled my eyes. "Just read it!"

"Okay, okay! Don't get your wand in a knot. It says 'your dream wedding takes place on a beach at sunset. You want to get married in a white sundress-ha, I wish we could get you into one of those-and go barefoot. You want your flowers to be only what you can pick on your way down to the beach and you want only your closest friends and family to be there'. See, way too girly and…"

I blushed as Roxy glanced at me.

"No way…" Lily said.

"It just sounds nice," I mumbled defensively.

"Oh my Merlin, Phoe that's so cute!" Roxy squealed.

"Shut up Rox!" I whinged. My sister cackled and my cousin smirked.

"Don't worry, we won't tell _anyone_ ," Roxy giggled.

"Yeah, why would we waste perfectly good blackmail like this?" Lily said wickedly.

I groaned, letting my face fall against the coffee table. "You know Lils, I think I liked you better when you were a sweet little angel. Those Scamander twins had a bad influence on you!"

Lily laughed harder. "Please, they didn't do anything. If anything, I was a bad influence on them."

I rolled my eyes, knowing full well that it was probably true. Lily was just as much a Weasley and a Potter as I was. She had proved that by being my accomplice this summer. I couldn't help but wonder what had brought it out in her.

"Is my sister torturing you?" Fred asked, rolling across the carpet until his head rested on my bent knee.

"Yes!" I whinged, "They're evil. Make them stop."

Fred laughed up at me, a sound that got both of our mothers' attention.

"Oh no," Mum said, shaking her head, "No trouble from you two. Everyone into bed."

"Aw, but Mum!" Al cried.

"Mum!" Lily whinged.

"Yeah Mum!" James mimicked.

"Be fair Mum!" I added.

"Come on Mum!" Teddy laughed.

"Yeah Mum," Dad added, laughingly. He planted a kiss on her cheek, wrapping his arms around her waist as he did.

"Whoa, none of that please!" James yelled, jokingly looking away.

"Yeah, there are children around!" I threw in, placing my hand over Freddy's eyes.

"Aw shove off!" Fred laughed, throwing my hands away and tackling me by waist. I squealed as he stood up, my face flying into his back.

"Put me down!" I wailed, lightly pounding my fists against his back. "Why do people always do this to me?"

"Because you weigh like two pounds!" Fred laughed as he spun around.

"I do not! I work out, and muscle weighs quite a bit!" I protested.

"Oh Fred I think you'd best put her down," Vic laughed, "She's probably not used to being up that high."

The rest of the family roared with laughter at my expense.

"Alright Fred, put her down," Aunt Angelina giggled.

I glared jokingly as Fred set me down, shaking with laughter. The moment my feet touched the ground I stumbled back, causing Fred to dive forward and grasp my wrist before I could hit the floor. He laughed harder as I pouted. Spinning me around, he pulled my back against his chest and hugged me tightly.

"You know you're my favorite," He sang.

"I hate you!" I protested, struggling to escape his iron hold.

"I love you Nix!" He laughed.

"Stop!" I wailed.

"Well, I suppose if you insist…" Fred said dramatically, letting me go and turning away.

"Fred, no, I was just teasing you," I said, theatrically grasping his arm and pulling him back around to face me.

"Really?" Fred asked, whispering the word like he couldn't quite believe it.

"Of course Freddy…I love you," I said. We waited for a second; taking in the slightly horrified looks on our family's faces before cracking.

"The looks-" Fred gasped.

"On your-" I snorted.

"Faces," Fred was crying.

I feel onto the ground, breathless with laughter. Fred was bent forward at the waist, and from my spot on the ground I could see his face, scrunched up with amusement, tears pouring down his face. I grinned at him, though I doubted he could see me with his eyes being as scrunched up as they were.

"Go to sleep," Mum laughed, shaking her head as she left the room.

"Don't stay up too late," Aunt Angelina allotted as she followed suit.

"Don't be loud," Ted said simply as he and Vic walked out arm in arm.

"Just don't be awake when we come down here tomorrow morning," Dad said knowingly.

"Go crazy!" Uncle George said, laughing as he too exited, leaving us alone in the room.

James smirked at me from across the coffee table. "Anyone up for a game of truth or dare?"

* * *

 _Wings,_

 _We're fine. Relieved to hear the same for you lot. Missing you bunches. Stay safe, hope to see you soon._

 _Xxx Blue_

* * *

As Vic's wedding drew closer and closer, everything began to get crazier and crazier. The "wedding headquarters", as Uncle Ron had dubbed the center for wedding chaos, had seemed to shift from the Burrow to our house. There was a constant swirl of cousins, Aunts, Grandmum's, and Veela passing through our home. I was constantly sneaking off to the Quidditch pitch to escape it all, though I spent long evenings hunched over parchment at the table to avoid hurting Vic's feelings.

I was growing slightly resentful of the whole wedding experience, and had thoroughly decided on a simple wedding when my turn rolled around. I was more than a little surprised at how many things needed planning, even in the final weeks before the wedding. Things we had planned out and triple-checked suddenly changed and we were left scrambling to find an alternative.

The Aurors in the family were still gone frequently, and for extended periods of time, but Mum had decided that we already knew enough, and that what had happened in Diagon Alley was not to be discussed. We were allowed to read the Daily Prophet for information, and we were informed when several people, none of whom we knew personally, thank Merlin, passed away in the hospital, but that was the extent of it.

I was a little surprised when Vic shook me awake one morning, fully dressed and holding out a cup of tea as a sort of peace offering.

"Sorry to wake you up, but I was wondering if you wanted to come with me today? I'm going to Apparate to Capri and pick out some scarves, but I don't want to go alone. I figured that it was your idea in the first place, plus we spend so little time together that the more I thought about it the more I wanted to do this. I made you some eggs if you want to go, you can head down and eat those and I'll lay out something for to wear. It's a little early, but there's no rush," Vic said, seeming a bit nervous.

"You want me to go to Italy with you?" I asked, amazed.

She nodded.

"Of course! I'll run down and eat, just lay out whatever and we can go as soon as I'm done!" I said, pushing off my covers and taking the tea from her. I didn't miss her broad smile as I left the room, moving as quickly as I could without spilling my tea.

* * *

I smiled widely as we moved through tiny cobblestone alleys, looking at the scarves being sold all along the pathways. There were many other beautiful trinkets that we kept getting distracted by, and we had wasted almost half of our day wandering into little shops to look at the things for sale. We had bought a few beautiful shells with little sea creatures carved into them for our female cousins and siblings, and some tee shirts with words and pictures actually painted on them for the males. Vic had also convinced me to buy a set of earrings, telling me that they matched the sundress that she had blushingly handed me in the morning, telling me that she had overheard the conversation Lily, Rox, and I had had about my "dream wedding".

We had picked up several scarves, deciding on an array of yellow to wear with our green dresses; to stick with the tropical theme Vic had chosen. Victoire had told me that we needed to find her a silver scarf, so that she wasn't straying too far from the traditional bridal colors, but we hadn't any luck.

"What about this one for Molls?" I asked Vic, holding up a very light, beaded thing. "It's not heavy or wide, so it shouldn't look bad with the very modest style of her dress."

"Oh that's perfect," Vic said approvingly. I noticed that she was looking at a red scarf. It was pretty, with a silken, flowy look to it. The bottom side of it had small beads hanging off of it, looking almost like tiny crystals.

"Hmm…" I said thoughtfully. Victoire jumped, then blushed slightly.

"I was just looking," She said, a bit guiltily.

"Well, I don't know about that red, but…" I reached behind me; pulling out an exact replica of the scarf that she had been looking at, only in a beautiful tropical blue that almost perfectly matched Vic's eyes. I watched her face light up as I brought it around to where she could see it. "This seems to be more appropriate."

She crossed the space between us in one fluid movement, gently talking the scarf from my hands and letting it run between her fingers. "It's beautiful," She said, never lifting her eyes from the material.

"It matches your eyes," I told her.

"Really?"

"Yeah. You should get it, it goes with the theme of your wedding and it will look gorgeous."

"You really think I-" I watched as she seemed to deflate before my eyes, the excitement disappearing from her face. "I can't."

I frowned. "Why not?"

"It's not proper, people will talk. Everyone is going to be there, I have to-"

"Whoa, whoa, slow down there Vic. You don't _have_ to do anything. It's _your_ wedding!" I cried, incredulous.

"But you don't understand!" Vic said, and I was surprised to see that, while she did look a bit tearful, my cousin looked more angry than anything else. "This whole thing was planned for everyone else! I know Teddy told you, he said he had talked about it and I know it was with you. We planned this huge wedding to make everyone happy! That's not what we wanted! I wanted to get married at the Burrow, barefoot and with the most extended family being that god awful great Aunt Muriel that my mother dislikes so much! But _someone_ had to have a big wedding, and Merlin knows we weren't going to leave it to one of you lot! We're Weasleys and Potters and Lupins, and everyone feels like they deserve to be a part of our lives! Which is ridiculous, it's like they think that, because our parents saved their arses, we owe it to them to let them see what's going on in our lives! But Merlin knows that if we hadn't let them we would have had some god awful reporter sneak in to make sure that they knew all about it anyways! And the same probably would have happened at each of your weddings until someone cracked and went through this horror that's become my wedding!"

I jumped forward, quickly wrapping my arms around my oldest cousin. "Vic, hey I get it. You've done so much for all of us, and we never knew. Thank you so much."

Vic wrapped her arms around me, shaking slightly. When she drew back, I was relieved to find her dry-eyed.

"Look Vic, you've done a lot for everyone. Do something for you."

"But-"

"No. Look, have you heard that old muggle saying? Mum said Aunt Hermione had her and Luna use it at their weddings. 'Something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue'. This can be your something blue. We can even talk to Mum and Aunt Hermione about it; get them in on the plan, so that if anyone asks we can say that it's a family tradition. Then no one can say anything bad about it! Hell, we'd probably start a new tradition for everyone else in the bloody Wizarding World!"

Vic was getting excited again, "Do you really think it could work?"

"Yes! Please Vic! You can have this as the blue, that old crown of Muriel's can the old or the borrowed, and we can find the rest easily!" I said growing excited with her.

Suddenly a huge grin spread across Vic's face. "Ha! I knew I could get you excited and into this whole wedding thing!" She cheered.

"What? No! Oh Merlin, you lot are turning me into a bunch of saps! Honestly!" I groaned. She giggled.

"Want to go get lunch?" Vic asked hopefully. "We only have a few more that we can find afterwards, and I know this great little pizza place down the way."

I bounced in place excitedly. "You're joking right? You have to ask? Of course I want to go!"

Vic grinned. We rushed over to pay for the scarves before she began to lead the way towards the restaurant.

* * *

"This is soooo good," I said as I took another bite of my pizza. Vic grinned at me from across the table as she took a bite of her own. I had been a bit hesitant to order my own pizza at first, but I relented after Vic explained that it was common here, since the crust was so thin. I was glad I had agreed, for I fully planned to eat the entire pie.

"I'm glad you like it. You know, I'm glad we did this. Growing up I was always a teensy bit jealous of you lot. You're all so close in age. I knew you would always have my back and all, but it's always just sort of been me and Ted, you know?"

I was, for the second time that day, floored by my cousin. "I guess I never really thought about it. I mean, you have Dom though."

As soon as the words were out of my mouth I regretted them.

Vic sighed. "I know you know about Dom and I. You're her closest friend. I don't know when, or how, that happened, but somehow it did and I know it. I appreciate you not pestering me about it, I know if I were in your position and it were Ted I would be hard pressed not to pester me about it either."

I nodded. "I mean, I've only heard one side of things, but we're family. That's what it comes down to. We're all family."

"More than you know…" Vic mumbled.

"What?" I asked her.

"Nothing. I just really appreciate it. Thank you Annette," She said sweetly.

I smiled back, still thinking hard about what she had said. I decided to let it drop. "You're welcome Victoire."

* * *

I was utterly disappointed to return home that evening. I was really pleased, however, at the grin on Teddy's face when he walked into the kitchen to find me sitting on the counter as Vic chopped vegetables, laughing until tears streamed down our faces.

"What's going on?" He asked, not bothering to stop the almost painful-looking smile that was threatening to split his face in two.

"We're just talking about Quidditch," Vic laughed. "Did you know that your sister here once hexed the entire Slytherin team to hang from the locker room ceiling by their bollocks?"

Ted's eyes grew round as he turned his gaze on me. "Even Nott?"

I shrugged. "No lasting damage was done." I glanced at Vic as I said it, and within moments we were doubled over at the waist again.

Teddy chuckled at our antics. "So I take it Italy was fun today?"

"It was awesome!" I cheered, gesturing wildly with my hands as I spoke. "We got to eat fresh pizza, and we went shopping and I didn't hate it! Then we went to the beach and it was a stone beach!"

"Sounds like a blast," Ted said, moving to put his arms around Vic as he spoke.

"It was great. Thanks Vic, I had a lot of fun today. Let me know if you ever want to do it again!" I said, moving towards the door. I smirked as her response was cut off, undoubtedly by my brother's mouth.

"Why hello there," Fred's voice had me whirling about, wand in hand. "Bit jumpy, are we? Did you have fun in Italy? I see you're sporting a new pair of _earrings_. I must say, they match your _dress_ quite nicely. Seems you had some fun _shopping_ then?"

I rolled my eyes at his theatrics before playing along. "Fred, please, it's not as bad as it looks."

"Oh really? Because it seems to me that I've lost you to the…to the _Gigglers_ ," He cried dramatically, wiping away a fake tear. I heard several snorts, and realized that many of our family members had gathered to watch our antics.

I gasped, throwing my hand over my heart. "The _Gigglers_? Fred…how could you accuse me of something like this? I would _never_ …I thought you knew me better than this…I suppose I was wrong…" I pretended to bury my face in my hands in anguish.

"I'm sorry, I just…I can't trust you," Fred whispered.

I let out a fake sob, falling to my knees. Between the cracks in my fingers I watched him wipe away fake tears, reaching his hand out towards me for a moment before freezing, clasping his hand shut, and turning away.

Our family applauded. Fred turned back to face me, holding out a hand to help me up, and we quickly took a bow. Then I, realizing that I was still wearing a dress, bobbed a little curtsy. This lead to more clapping. I noticed Fred's face fall marginally, and I followed his gaze to see Uncle George leave the room.

I clenched my fist.

"Go get some rest," Fred muttered. "The wedding is in a few days. I doubt the chaos will end until this whole thing is over."

* * *

Finally, July 8th rolled around.

The morning was insane. We had to fix a thousand mistakes so miniature that no one would have ever noticed them but Vic, but it was her wedding and so we fixed them anyways. We got ready in a rush, preparing to walk down the aisle before Vic. I hardly remembered a thing, but one of the few things forever etched in my memory was the look of pure love and amazement on my brother's face when Victoire appeared at the end of the aisle.

The wedding was enchanting, but I was relieved when it, and the reception, were over, and it was just our family again.

"It went perfectly," Aunt Fleur said firmly.

"It was perfect," Vic agreed simply.

Teddy glanced around before saying, "Now, just because it's our wedding after-the-after party, doesn't mean this has to be all about us. We had our big moment, now this is family air again."

We all looked at each other, then looked back at him, confused.

"There's a secret in the room," Teddy said simply. "I just wanted its owner to know that they can feel free to share it."

After that there was a sort of awkward tension, then the Aunts suggested that everyone move into the living room for tea.

In the chaos of everyone moving from room to room, I darted out of the crowd. I slipped inside the upstairs bathroom, shutting and locking the door behind me and turning around with a sigh.

"Oh shite!" I squealed, startled beyond belief to see Dom standing at the mirror. She laughed breathily, grabbing my arm as I reached for the door.

"Don't go. Hide in here with me," She offered.

I smiled at her, coming to stand next to her in the mirror. I took in her sad eyes, then gave her a once over in the glass.

"You look…" I trailed off, not knowing how to word it without hurting her feelings.

"I look like Vic. I know," She mumbled. I nodded mutely.

"Sorry," I told her softly.

She shook her head, running her hands through her hair.

"Teddy."

I looked at my cousin in surprise. "What?"

She sighed, tears building up her big blue eyes. "That's the guy. The one that tore Vic and I apart. I slept with Teddy. I slept with your brother. He wasn't the boyfriend of some random friend of Vic's, he was _her_ boyfriend. That's why she hates me, I slept with the guy who had been hers for as long as anyone could remember," Dom squeezed her eyes shut tightly, trying to keep the tears from running over her long lashes.

"Dom. Oh Merlin," I stuttered, unsure of how to respond.

"It's okay, I know. But I need to be able to move on from it. It happened so long ago, it seems, but it's run my life since then. I want to be able to like myself again," Dom ground out.

"So…what are you going to do?" I asked nervously.

"Did you have fun in Italy?" Dom asked suddenly.

"Yes…" I said warily. "Dom, you know that Vic-"

"No, no," She cut me off, "That's not what I'm worried about. I just mean…I want to do that, you know?"

"Do what? Go to Italy?" I asked.

"Yeah. And Tokyo. And America. And everywhere really. I want to travel."

"And you can. After Hogwarts, you can travel wherever you want," I said firmly.

Dom sighed, her eyes meeting mine in the mirror, a sad look on her face that had my stomach clenching nervously.

"I'm not going back to Hogwarts."

" _What_?" I gasped, stunned.

"I'm not going back. I'm 17; I'm legal. I can take the NEWTs whenever, if it pleases me. I don't need to go back, and quite frankly I don't want to," She said firmly.

I stared at her, eyes wide, a thousand arguments swirling around in my head, selfish things like "what about me?", but when I opened my mouth the only thing that came out was, "If that's what you want."

I didn't have to agree with her, but when it came down to it, it was her decision, and I would back her in anything.

"I do. I'm so sure of it. I want a fresh start, and I'm not going to get that at Hogwarts," Dom said simply. Then she turned around, so that her back was facing away from me, and she held out a chunk of her hair. "Help me?"

I felt my eyes grow wide. "You want me to cut your hair?"

"Yes please. I don't want to look like her; I want to look like me. Do it however you like, just make it shorter."

And so I took a piece of her waist length hair into my hands, grabbed a pair of scissors, and cut it.

We both held our breath as the lock of hair fell to the floor.

After the first cut it was easy. Mum had taught me how to cut her hair when I was little, so I wasn't afraid of messing it up. I cut carefully, snipping it to just above her bust, making sure that it fell in a perfectly straight line around her head. I walked around her, snipping a hair here or there until I was certain that it was absolutely perfect. Then I took a step back, waving my wand, and all of the hair I had cut disappeared.

Dom turned, examining it the mirror for a moment. "It's perfect. Thank you Ann."

I smiled at her. "I'm glad you like it."

She carefully pulled her scarf up around her head. "Let's go."

"You're doing this now?" I clarified.

"I need to get it over with," She said determinedly. "Plus," She gestured to her hair, hidden beneath the scarf, "It's not exactly like I can wait, right?"

I laughed lightly. "No, I guess not."

* * *

We entered the room quietly, nerves growing in my stomach as everyone grew silent and turned to look at us. I quickly slipped away, going to sit next to Fred. I didn't miss the look of slight fear that Vic gave me as Dom stood alone in the doorway.

"Teddy," Dom said.

"Yes?" Teddy replied apprehensively.

"You said you're both okay with it if I want to say something?"

Ted looked like he was starting to regret his statement. "I did; we are."

Dom took a deep breath, then pulled back her scarf. There were a few gasps, partially because she looked so different, but mainly because everyone understood that this meant something big to Dom.

"I have decided that I will not be attending Hogwarts for my final year," Dom said simply.

" _Wow. Way to cut to the chase Dom_ ," I thought admiringly.

There were several noises of both shock and outrage, but Dom quelled it all by lifting up one hand.

"No, let me explain first. I understand that this isn't the typical thing to do, but there's no reason why is shouldn't be something I do. I plan on using what would have been my final year at Hogwarts to travel. I would work odd jobs here and there, and I would undoubtedly learn a lot along the way. Then when I come back, I think I would spend a little bit of time reviewing what I missed, maybe I could use your books if you're okay with it Molls, and then I would take my NEWTs through the Ministry. Then I would find a job, and settle down just like everyone else my age will be doing. I just think I need to find myself, and this seems to be a good way to do it. I want to be my own person when I start life in the real world," Dom said firmly.

For a few moments there was silence, then Uncle Bill spoke.

"Look, Dominique, I can't speak for your mother, but…I think it sounds like you've got this pretty figured out. You're not just deciding to up and leave, or acting on a wave of teenage rebellion. Plus, you're a Weasley; obviously this adventurous spirit lives in your blood. I feel it; I work with Goblins for a living and I married a quarter-Veela!" At this he exchanged loving glances with Aunt Fleur, "If this is what you want, I won't stop you. Hell, I don't think I could stop you, you're an adult, after all."

We all turned to look at Aunt Fleur.

She sighed. "I am with you're father on this one. If it makes you happy, then do it."

At this Dom smiled, and it was a smile of such pure joy that no one could doubt that it made her extremely happy.

"Thank you! Thank you so much!" She cried, rushing over to hug her parents. They laughed as she kissed them on both cheeks, tears pouring down her own. I knew that it was hard for the rest of my family to understand why this was such a big deal to her, but I knew that it meant the world to Dom to be given the chance to leave, and find the girl she might have been if it hadn't been for one drunken mistake.

Shortly after Dom's announcement, Grandmum announced that it had been a long day, and we should all head up to our beds if we wanted to see Vic and Teddy off on their honeymoon the next morning.

As we stood to leave, everyone stopping to offer Vic and Teddy further congratulations, Dom gently grasped my arm, holding me in place. I waited beside her, knowing that she wanted me for moral support for whatever was about to happen next.

Finally it was just Dom, Vic, Teddy, and I, the former two looking determined and the latter feeling slightly awkward.

"Look I-"

"I know-"

The sisters both started and stopped speaking in unison, and an awkward silence fell before Vic spoke again in a rush.

"I don't want you to feel like you have to leave because of what happened," She blurted out.

Dom looked relieved. "I don't. And I'm not. I'm doing this for me, in spite of what happened. I've done a lot of things _because of_ what happened; in fact nearly everything I've done since it happened was _because of_ what happened. I'm done living my life because of something I did when I was fifteen years old. I'm an adult now, and I want to move past that. But I can't do that without saying this. _I'm sorry_. I'm so, so sorry, and I know that I've said it before and that it doesn't change anything that happened, and I can accept that. But I need you to know that I mean it. I don't expect you to forgive me, I'm not sure I would forgive myself if the roles were reversed, but I need you to know that I regret it, and I would change it if I could."

Vic looked heartbroken. "Dom…I forgive you. I know you're sorry, and that you would change things if you could, and it's because of that that I forgive you. But I don't _trust you_. You broke my trust when you slept with the guy that I love, and I understand that maybe you weren't completely in control of your actions at the time but the words that you spoke to him, even in a drunken haze, were truthful and that's what I can't move past."

But the look on Dom's face was a thousand times lighter than Vic's. "Vic, I know. I don't need you to give me anything else, you've already given me so much more than I expected. Thank you. That's all I wanted to say."

She gently grabbed my arm, pulling me towards the doorway where the couple was standing.

"Congrats Victoire. Congrats Ted," She said simply.

"Congratulations," I said softly. I gave both a hug, then followed Dom from the room.

We found the bed that we were sharing, pausing only to put on our nightclothes before climbing under that covers and closing our eyes. I immediately heard Dom's breathing even out as she undoubtedly fell into the most peaceful sleep she had had in years. I, however, stayed awake for much longer, just trying to enjoy spending what time I had left with my cousin, even if she wasn't awake. I knew that, if she had a plan like the one she had explained downstairs all laid out; she most likely had prepared things in case her plan hadn't been taken well.

My cousin had been ready to run. Though she didn't have to now, with everything already ready I doubted she would stick around, regardless.

My time with my cousin before she left was short, and I knew it.

Looking back, I wish I had woken her up.

* * *

After seeing Vic and Teddy off, we all crawled back into our respective beds to get some more rest. We had been awake until late the night before, and we all quite fancied sleep.

When I woke up for the second time I knew.

I squeezed my eyes shut, feeling around the bed with a blind hand.

The other side of the bed was cold, and the only thing my fingers found was a folded up bit of parchment. I pulled it towards me, turning my face to read the words written on it with eyes blurred by tears.

 _Annette,_

 _Sorry for leaving without saying goodbye. I know that's a dreadful thing to do, but it isn't really goodbye, so don't feel too badly._

 _It's only a year. You can write me whenever you'd like. At the end of the year I'll come back, and you'll still be my best friend. You can still talk to me about anything. You can do that whenever you want, I'll always have time for you._

 _Don't do anything crazy. At least, not without me._

 _You're my best friend. Don't forget it._

 _Love you._

 _Dom_

I sniffed, feeling a bit silly after reading her letter. She was right of course, she was only going to be gone for a year, and it wasn't going to change our friendship. I wiped my eyes, folding the paper and placing it on my bedside table before reaching for my wand.

I walked down the stairs with a bit of a heavy heart, knowing that the rest of my family may not see things the way I did.

But Dom was my best friend as well.

And I would back her in every decision she made.

* * *

 **Wow. What a dramatic chapter! Hopefully everyone is okay with the things that went down, I feel like we got a lot of character development out of this one!**

 **No, I don't plan to replace Dom's friendship with Vic's, so don't worry about that. We simply needed more Vic, so there was that.**

 **Not really any Jay in this chapter, so sorry about that.**

 **Many thanks again for sticking around for so long! I already know what next chapter will be about, so don't worry about another incredibly long wait!**

 **To my fabulous reviewers, who so encouraged me to keep writing:**

laxgirl1415 **: You've been with this story since the start, and that means a lot. Hopefully you're still reading! Thank you for your review, I'm glad you enjoyed last chapter.**

SPDrAnger006 **: I'm glad you enjoyed the Diagon Alley scene; I tried hard to make it emotional! Also, hopefully the little "previously" section at the top works as a memory refresher, thank you for the idea! I never would have thought of that, but after such a long time I'm sure it is pretty hard to remember what happened before.**

scrumptiousinternetllama **: I'm so glad you enjoyed the end of last chapter (when Phoenix** _ **finally**_ **realized that Max Holland has been hitting on her). It was such a blast to write! He's such a card, and she's just completely oblivious. And here's another 10,000+ word chapter! I think that it's not word length that matters though, it quality of work, and having just clicked into your Luna/Draco story (which I will definitely be reading by the way) it looks like you've got that covered. I'm just a very wordy person, and I guess it transfers over to writing, LOL. And I'm super glad you liked the Grandparent scene!**

fredgeorge forever2011 **: First off, I must say that I completely love your username. Fred and George are two of my absolute favorite characters! Secondly, thank you so much! I'm so glad you found this story, and I'm even more glad that you enjoyed it. Thank you for your lovely review.**

 _ **A special note:**_ **Paris.**

 **I don't know if anyone reading this lives in Paris, or has family in Paris, but please know that all of my thoughts and prayers go out to you. I also realize that more is going on in the world, so to any one of you who have had something happen to or around them or their loved ones, my thoughts and prayers to you as well. I love you all; please stay safe.**

 **Thank you as always for reading.**


	18. Ma'at And Monkeys

**Author's Note: I don't own Harry Potter; if I did then the Marauders would have had a big scene in the books somewhere. Even if they had to do it as ghosts.**

* * *

 **Ma'at and Monkeys**

* * *

"Wake up," Lily hissed, gently shaking my shoulder.

"What?" I whinged, rolling over so that I could try to make out her face in the darkness.

"Madame Scamander is here, and she wants to talk to you. Mum and Dad are downstairs with her in the kitchen," Lily told me. I nodded, reaching for my wand and pulling back my covers. I carefully lifted Circe, my sweet little Kneazle, off of my feet and set her down next to me. Lily didn't move from her spot, kneeling on the edge of my bed, as I got up.

"Go ahead then, just make sure you stay on one side so that I don't have to wake you up when I come back in," I told her. She smiled, a flash of white in the darkness around us, and I saw her silhouette curl up on my bed as I left.

I moved down the stairs, carefully avoiding the creak that Dad had charmed on the seventh step. Aunt Hermione had explained it to me once, stating that it gave my Dad some peace of mine, since it was impossible to avoid unless you knew that it was there. I could see a light at the end of the hall, and quickly I threw my tangled curls into a ponytail before entering the room.

"Hello Phoenix!" Madame Scamander said sweetly. "Sorry to wake you, but I only just got back from a trip and I hadn't realized it was quite so late."

I giggled, catching a glimpse of the clock. "It's only 11:30; you aren't _that_ late. We just went to bed early because we spent all day outside playing Quidditch."

She smiled at me. "Good. Now, I know that you've got your career all picked out, and I'm more than certain that you'll be snatched up by every Quidditch team in the league as soon as you graduate, but I really enjoyed having you help me in the Hospital Wing last year."

"And I enjoyed helping you," I responded, a bit bewildered. I had only worked with her in the Wing when she was really busy; most of my time had been spent researching the _Ker_. I couldn't figure out where she was going with this.

"Good. Because I'm getting ready to take a trip to Egypt to do some medical research and I was wondering if you would like to go and help me," Madame Scamander said simply, as though we were discussing the weather.

There was total silence in the room for a few moments. A meow echoed through the room as Circe wound herself around my ankles.

"You're going to Egypt?" A quiet voice asked from behind me. I jumped, whirling around to find Lily standing behind me. Her hair was falling out of a messy braid, her feet were adorned with much-too-big socks that likely belonged to one of our brothers, and her face was twisted with a mixture of jealousy and longing.

"I-um…I don't know yet," I stuttered. I turned to glance at my parents.

"I think you should go," Mum told me. "It's always good to have other career options, just in case, and having an extended knowledge of healing is never a bad thing."

"Especially when it comes to Quidditch," Dad added.

"Erm, alright then," I said awkwardly, feeling Lily's gaze burning into the back of my head.

"Lily," Luna said, "Why don't you come with us? It wouldn't be any trouble at all, and I know your sister would enjoy your company, both on the trip and in the Hospital Wing during this upcoming year, if you'd like."

I nodded enthusiastically.

Lily moved to stand next to me, hope shining in her eyes. "Could I really?"

Mum smiled. "I'm certainly alright with it."

"Going to Egypt is probably safer than would be for you to stick around here," Dad muttered.

Lily turned her wide brown eyes on me. "You don't mind?"

" _Mind_? Lils, of course I don't _mind_ , I _want_ you to come with us! We hardly ever hang out during the school year, and spending time with you is the best! Please, please, please come with us!" I begged.

Lily's face lit up. "Really? Of course I'll go!"

Madame Scamander laughed. "Alright then, I'll be back for you two on Friday, at 9 o'clock!"

We both grinned, thanking her profusely.

Mum chuckled. "Okay, up to bed with you two now."

We said goodnight before turning and racing up the stairs, Circe on our heels. Lily and I tiptoed past Al's room, where he and Scorpius slept, and ducked into my bedroom.

"Thank you so much for letting me come Phoe," Lily whispered as we settled into my bed.

"Of course Lils," I whispered back.

"You know, the ancient Egyptians were known for being very advanced at healing. Even Muggles, who don't have knowledge of the spells and such that they used, admit that they were very skilled. They also practiced massaging. A lot of the magical herbs that we use today come from Egypt. And we owe credit to Egyptians for about 25% of our healing potions and spells. Which is super impressive if you think about it, since they had to be translated from hieroglyphics. Imagine how many haven't been translated yet!" Lily whispered eagerly.

I was stunned. I had been certain that my sister was just interested in the trip.

"Lily, what are you thinking of doing after school?" I asked.

I couldn't see her face in the dark, but I was certain she was blushing. "Well, I'm only a third year, so I guess I don't know for sure, but I think being a healer would be really neat. They get to help people, and there are so many branches of healing. I could pick whatever I wanted to specialize in, and then I could work on really becoming a master of it. Also, there are so many things we haven't discovered a cure for, like Lycanthropy or Spattergroit."

"Wait, but I thought that you could cure Spattergroit by taking the liver of-"

Lily giggled, cutting me off quickly. "No, that's just an old wives' tale. The only reason it's still around is because some wizards are immune to Spattergroit once they reach a certain stage of the sickness. A few of those wizards happened to hit the level of illness that they're immune to shortly after trying that technique, and it appeared to have worked."

"What do you mean 'once they reach a certain stage of the sickness?" I asked, confused.

"Well you know how there always seems to be different stages of sickness? Like how you seem to get sicker for a while, then suddenly you've reached the peak of the illness and after that you're progressively getting better?" Lily asked.

"Yeah?"

"That's because diseases have a certain life cycle. They'll die after a certain amount of time, if your body can fight them off. Take the cold for instance. When you first start to show symptoms, your body starts to fight off the disease. A lot of the symptoms you show are actually caused by your internal battle with the illness, as opposed to the sickness itself."

"Like what?"

"Well, swollen lymph nodes, for one. Those happen because the glands are filled with white blood cells, which fight off the disease. The cells are produced in the nodes before being distributed throughout the body, but the gland is packed so full that it becomes swollen and painful to the touch. Anyways, back to life cycles of an illness."

I laughed softly at how sidetracked Lily had gotten.

"Some diseases have a lifecycle that dies out after a certain amount of time because your body successfully fights off the infection. Some diseases' life cycles end because they successfully take down your body, which is a fatal disease. Either way, the sickness and symptoms will change as the "battle" progresses."

I was more than a little awed. "Lily how do you know this stuff?"

I could see her teeth reflecting moonlight as she smiled. "Alice and I first thought about becoming healers after our first Herbology class. We're both rather good at it, you know. I was even more interested in healing after she told me about her Dad's parents."

I understood immediately. Being Neville's goddaughter, I had been to visit Frank and Alice Longbottom several times.

"Then we had our first Potions class. We weren't as good at that, but Slughorn still said our Burn Solution was pretty good, and we were sort of hooked on the idea afterwards. We're taking Ancient Ruins this year, and we wanted to try and learn how to decipher some of the trickier potions and spells."

I couldn't help but beam at her. "Lily that's so cool! If you want I could help you two with Potions! And I could even work on some Charms with you, if you'd like. I've got top marks in both, and Potions is really just a matter of figuring out how things mix together to create something else. Once you've got that down it's so much easier. That's when the fun really starts, because then you start to realize that there's a bunch of little things that you can do to create the potions so much faster, or to make them do something _just a bit_ different then the original purpose."

Her grin became wider. "Really? That would be so cool! We're really not that great at Charms, I mean we have decent marks, but it's nothing special even though we've been practicing! We talked about asking you, but we know that you have a lot going on, with Quidditch, helping out in the Hospital Wing, taking extra classes in nearly all of your subjects, the advanced Charms class, your OWL last year and your OWLS this year, and spending time with your friends and Jay."

I laughed quietly. "It can be a lot, but there are also days when I have nothing to do at all. Plus, I've realized that I don't need to obsess over studying as much as I did last year, which doesn't mean I won't obsess, but I know that I don't _have to_. If that makes any sense."

Lily giggled. "It does. I'll make sure I remind you of that."

Looking over her and out my window, I noticed how high the moon was getting in the sky. "Alright you, go to sleep or I'll throw you out!" I whispered teasingly.

"Sure you will," Lily snorted, "That would require you getting out of bed though…"

I laughed, "Good night Lils."

"Goodnight Phoe."

* * *

"YOU'RE WHAT?"

I sat up with a start, reaching blindly for my wand. I had it in my grasp and was moving down the stairs before I had even fully registered that I was awake.

I sprinted towards the kitchen, coming to a stop in the doorway upon finding a very unhappy looking James glaring at Lily.

I sighed. "What's going on?"

James snapped his gaze up to look at me. "How come you two get to go to Egypt?"

I rolled my eyes, sticking my wand behind my ear and moving into the kitchen. "Because we were invited."

I sat on the counter, then got on my knees to reach up into a cabinet. I pulled down a bowl, setting it on the counter next to me before getting down.

"And why weren't we invited?" James asked angrily.

I sighed, turning to look at James as I reached into the fridge for some milk. Al was sat behind him, looking very content to be sitting next to his best friend. Scorp, who had come to visit yesterday morning, was giving me a look I couldn't decipher.

"I was invited because I've been helping Madame Scamander in the Hospital Wing and Lily was invited because she's interested in healing. You were not invited because you're neither, same for Al, though I doubt Al would have wanted to go when his best friend is supposed to be staying over for the last few weeks of summer," I said.

"Yeah," Al mumbled simply. Scorp offered both of us a shy smile.

"Whatever," James snapped, storming out of the kitchen.

I shrugged, sitting down at the table with a bowl full of cereal. We sat in silence for a few moments until I decided I couldn't take it any more.

"What?" I asked Scorpius. He jumped.

"Sorry. It's just that…I don't think I've seen you with your hair down since my first year," Scorpius explained.

I frowned. I had started wearing my hair up all the time my third year, and since then I had worn it down so rarely that it was entirely possible that he was telling the truth.

Al laughed. "You're barking," He told Scorp affectionately. "She's a girl, there's no way you haven't seen her style her hair down in two years."

I rolled my eyes. "Aren't you a charmer? Al, Scor's probably right. I've hardly worn it down, and then it was when I went to Hogsmeade. And, remind me, when's the last time we went to Hogsmeade together?"

Albus snorted, wadding up his napkin and tossing it at me. "Alright, I was wrong. My bad Scorp."

Lily giggled as Scorpius let out a sniff, pretending to be very offended.

"So Scor," I said conversationally, "How long have you and Rosie been secretly dating?"

Lily, catching my bluff, ducked her head to hide the smile that was growing on her face, and I had to take a bite of cereal to hide my own.

Across from us, both boys sat motionless, completely in shock. I chewed slowly as I waited for them to explode, denying like crazy. I loved winding them up.

Then Scorpius spoke, stuttering and almost choking on his words. "H-how did you…how did you know?"

I sucked in a breath, stunned, and immediately began choking on my mouthful of food. Lily was too surprised to say anything.

"W-what?" I gasped, tears streaming down my face.

"What do you mean 'what'?" Scorp squeaked.

Al groaned. "Scorpius, I'm pretty sure my dear sister was bluffing. Most likely an attempt of hers to wind us up."

Scorp's eyes widened. "Don't tell Rose!"

"You're dating my cousin?" I asked.

"Err…yeah?" Scorp responded, hesitantly.

I looked at Lily. "Cool," We responded together.

I stood, taking my bowl to the sink. Behind me, Scorpius and Al exchanged glances while Lily took a sip of her tea.

"That's it?" Al checked.

"That's it," I confirmed simply.

"Huh."

"I think I'm going to go write to Jay. Want to come with Lils?" I asked. She glanced at her tea, then shrugged, picking it up and following me.

"Oh, and Al?" I threw over my shoulder.

"Yeah?" He asked, apprehensively.

"If you ever get lonely, I'm sure a certain Miss Ava Carter would absolutely love to join you on a double date," I stated, smirking at the deep blush that spread across my little brother's face. I threw a wink at Scorpius, who was laughing hysterically, then followed Lils upstairs.

"Are you going to tell Jay why you can't come visit him?" Lily asked.

"Of course, why wouldn't I?" I asked her absently as I dipped my quill into the ink.

"I don't know, the whole deal with Madame Scamander is always so secretive for you. Ever since the attack on Hogwarts, you, Madame Scamander, and Professor McGonagall have been that way. I always figured something had happened, but you never talked about it, so I just let it go. I guess I knew you would tell me if you wanted me to know."

I could only gape at my little sister. Suddenly, I realized that I wanted to tell her, more than I had ever wanted anything in my life. I had kept everything that had happened during the attack on Hogwarts a secret since it had happened, never allowed to tell anyone, and here was someone who I knew would keep it a secret. Of course, Luna and Minnie knew, but I hadn't ever _talked_ about it, and, as great as they were, they weren't my sister.

And so the dam broke, and words spilled out of my mouth in a sudden rush.

"Well the night that Hogwarts was attacked, I was out and about when I saw the lights. I knew I had to tell someone, but the map got this message, it said it had an error, so I couldn't see if anyone was close by. So I took off towards McGonagall's office…"

Lily listened, never interrupting, though her eyes grew rounder and rounder as I spoke. Finally, I finished my story, and we both sat in silence while Lily digested everything I had just told her.

"That…was not what I was expecting. Can I see your marking?"

I nodded, jumping up and lifting up the back of my shirt. Lily stepped forward, tracing the black mark, then stepped back with a frown upon her face. I dropped my tee, turning around to face her.

"We have to figure out how to stop this," She said thoughtfully. "Now that I know the real reason we're going to Egypt, I think I could try and help as well."

I nodded. "Yeah, though I think you might get to do your medical research as well. Professor McGonagall owled me this morning and said that Madame Scamander wants to look at this on a medical standpoint, and try to see if there's a possible cure. But she said she wants me to split my time between helping her and doing research for other types of diseases and such, because she doesn't know what the creatures are capable of, and she wants to be prepared. I'm mostly going to be translating stuff, since I don't really understand much about medicine, but I think Madame Scamander will give you some more interesting stuff to do once she finds out you're interested."

Lily gave me a weak smile. "You're pretty bad about this whole feelings thing. I thought you were getting better about it after the whole Jay thing, but you sort of shut down once you started talking to Dom about things."

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

Lily rolled her eyes. "I guess you don't really know you're doing it. When Jay first broke up with you…well no, I guess it was sooner than that. When Jay went through that whole thing with Vane, and you spent the day up in your room crying, that was one of the first times we had all seen you just completely lose it. But even then you bolted as soon as you started to cry, and you wouldn't let any of us in until Mum and Aunt Fleur got home. Then you were fine again, and we didn't really see you get emotional again until the night Hogwarts got attacked. That night was scary, because you were just so out of it, which is totally unlike you."

I winced, remembering how weak I had felt that night, and how scared and clingy I had acted.

"Then you went back to normal, and we thought it was all good until Jay broke up with you. That was when we really knew something was wrong, because, as much as we know you and Jay love each other-," I couldn't stop my eyes from widening a bit at the word 'love', "-you just aren't the type of girl to completely lose it over a guy. But still, you were so upset, just sort of blanked out and devastated. That's how I knew that you hadn't just been scared the night the attack happened. Because something like a break up crushed you. Then you started talking to Dom about it, and things got better, and I thought that maybe you had told Dom about the attack, but then Dom and Fred cornered me one night and demanded to know "exactly what had happened on the night of the attack". I told them I didn't know, and Fred said that one of us needed to find out."

I opened my mouth to be upset with my sister, to feel betrayed, but she continued speaking before I could get the words out.

"We all agreed, but we decided that that would be the last time we ever talked about it. We agreed that someone needed to be ready for you to talk to, but that we didn't need to talk about it with each other because if you told one of us then it would only be the business of the person you told. You get to choose who you share things with Phoe, but we wanted to make sure that we all were ready to hear what you had to say when the time came."

I frowned. "How did you know I was going to tell one of you?"

She smiled a bit. "Well we didn't think you would tell Roxy because she's too emotional. She would keep the secret, but you wouldn't want to burden her because you knew it would affect her daily life. Lucy, Hugo, Molly, and Louis simply aren't close enough to you. Rose would tell someone, James would probably end up creating more issues than he solved because he would try to take care of everything for you. Vic and Teddy are too old, they have their own lives to worry about, and Al has too much going on with the whole Scorpius-Rose thing. We knew you wouldn't tell anyone outside of our family because as much as you care about them, you will always trust us more because you've grown up with us your whole life, and you've figured out exactly how we would react to things. Jay was a possibility, but we ruled him out because you wouldn't tell him for the same reason you wouldn't tell James. And considering Scamander and McGonagall already know and didn't tell the parents, we ruled them out as well. That left us three."

I was a bit surprised at how well they had analyzed me. I knew they knew me pretty well, as they were three of the people closest to me, but I hadn't realized they knew me that well.

Apparently my thoughts had played out across my face, for Lils spoke soon after they crossed my mind. "Don't look so surprised. We know you better than you think. They're only your best friends, and I'm only your sister, after all."

I rolled my eyes at her tone of sarcasm. "Alright you tosser, let me write my letter now."

She laughed, leaning back in her chair as I dipped the now dry quill back into the inkwell. I sucked on the end of the feather as I tried to decide what to say.

 _Blue,_

 _Miss you like crazy._

 _I know we were talking about me coming over for the last week, but Madame Scamander wants me to go to Egypt with her and Lily, to do some research. I'm not crazy into it, but I'll learn something, and Lils is super excited._

 _I'll make it up to you. And I can't wait to see you on the train._

I thought about how I wanted to end the letter, the four-letter 'L' word that Lily had mentioned earlier rolling around in my head. Finally, I shook my head lightly. I was being silly. It was _much_ too big of a word to just drop, especially in a _letter_.

 _Miss you, and see you soon._

 _Wings_

"Hey Phoe," Lily said from behind my back. I glanced over my shoulder to look at her. "Tell Jay that I love him!"

I rolled my eyes, laughing a little as I tacked on a PS.

 _P.S. Lily wants me to inform you that she_ _looooves_ _you._

We both laughed as Lily read the post-script over my shoulder. She stood; grabbing the book she had been reading and moving towards the door as I slid the letter into an envelope. We moved back downstairs and into Dad's study to mail the letter.

Once I had sent the letter we decided to start packing. Lily insisted that we write out a list of everything we intended to bring so that we could be certain that we packed it all, and returned home with it all.

It took ages, but we finally packed the small suitcases that Mum had given us. It appeared that we did it just in time, because just as we sealed them shut, Mum's voice floated up the stairs.

"Girls! Your Hogwarts letters are here!"

We both rushed down to the kitchen, grinning at Al and Scorpius as we entered.

"Now I just flooed your Mum, Scorpius, and she's going to meet us in Diagon Alley so that we can get your stuff as well," Mum said as she handed us the sealed envelopes.

"We're going today?" Lily asked.

"Yes, with all that's happened I think it's best if we just go, rather than make a bunch of plans that could possibly leak out in the days before we travel there," Mum responded.

Right. We often forgot how big of a deal our parents were with the Wizarding World. We spent most of our time at school, where our classmates had all but completely gotten used to our presence, and what little time we did spend with our family typically occurred at home. With everything that had been going on lately, it would surely be a big deal to the World to see us travelling to a site that had just been attacked recently. We would surely make the paper as it was, so to plan it out would only be an act of foolishness. My family had a saying, one that apparently came from my Dad's experiences at Hogwarts: "When have any of our plans every worked? We plan, we get there, all hell breaks loose."

So we all moved up the stairs to get ready. Scor and Al quickly ducked into his room, while James shoved past Lily and I in the hall, still clearly upset about our upcoming trip to Egypt.

Lily followed me into my room, sitting on my bed and looking at me hopefully. I rolled my eyes, digging through my dresser until a found a tee shirt and some shorts she could borrow. She beamed at me, moving to get changed as I struggled to find an outfit for myself in my rather empty closet. I frowned, realizing that I probably needed to do laundry if packing for a trip left me with so few clothes.

Finally I pulled out a pair of old jeans, and I simply hacked off the ends of the pants until I had a pair of fairly even shorts. Lily gaped at me as I took an old shirt of Jay's and made a few cuts up the side. I then braided the sides of the shirt, cut the tops of the sleeves and tied them together, and made a few cuts in the neck. I pulled on the clothes, smiling at how they had turned out. They weren't the most fashionable things ever, but they looked pretty cute.

"How did you do that?" Lily asked in amazement.

"Grandmum showed me one summer. It was apparently something she used to help Mum with, when she was little. A lot of Mum's clothes were hand-me-downs from our uncles, so she found ways to make them look more feminine. I'll teach you sometime," I told her as I pulled my hair up. I watched as she replicated my hair-do, grinning at her messy replica. She had been practicing, that much was clear, but her naturally straight hair seemed to dislike the elaborate twists and curls that the Dragon twist required.

"Ready to go little copycat?" I asked her. She blushed a bit, her freckles standing out against the light red hue. I grinned, moving past her and out the door, where I promptly ran into Scorpius.

"Oh sorry Scor," I laughed, stumbling back. "Holy cricket!"

"What?" Scorpius asked, looking rather red.

"You're taller than me! Oh my Merlin, when did that happen?" I asked in shock.

From behind me I heard Al laugh. "Phoe, we've been taller than you for a while. Nearly everyone is, actually. Even Lils is getting close."

I frowned, glancing over at my little sister to find that she was indeed about the same height as me.

"Well that's rude. You should all get short," I declared. They snickered.

"Maybe you should get tall," James suggested, none too kindly. Clearly he was still irritated from this morning.

"Obviously I can't," I told him.

"Obviously. Who would choose to be that short? You look like a child," James told me.

I growled, my face growing red as he moved down the stairs.

"At least I don't look like an obnoxious prat!" I shouted after him.

"There's nothing wrong with being short," Scorpius told me. "My Mum's sister, Aunt Daphne, is pretty short, and she was considered to be a perfect…well…Slytherin, back in her Hogwarts days…"

"Are you insulting her or complimenting her?" Al asked tersely.

I was quick to jump in, not wanting a fight to start when I knew what Scorp had meant. "No I get it. Like the good traits of Slytherin, right?"

Scorpius nodded, looking relieved, and I suddenly remembered the conversation we had had in his first year, where I told him how the Sorting Hat had suggested I could be a Slytherin.

Al looked a bit confused. "What do you mean, the good traits? I mean, no offense to your parents Scor, they've changed a lot from what I've heard, but there doesn't really seem to be any good Slytherins."

Lily butted in, frowning hard. "Um, are you forgetting Ben?"

"No, but Ben's not a real Slytherin, is he?" Al said.

"What do you mean?" I asked, bewildered.

"Well, he doesn't act like the ones Mum and Dad told us about. He's cool."

"So are Molly and Hugo's boyfriends," I reminded him. "So are a lot of the Slytherins, actually."

"Well, I mean I don't really have a problem with them, but isn't the whole deal with Slytherin their abilities to be cunning and such?"

I was a bit surprised, for Al had always been very accepting, but then I realized that my brother was genuinely curious. He honestly did not understand that there was more to being placed in Slytherin than just being cunning and ambitious.

"Well, think about it this way. What are Gryffindors known for?" I asked him.

"Bravery," Al responded immediately.

Lily smirked a bit. "Recklessness."

I nodded. Al frowned as he realized the truth to her word.

"But that's not all we are. We're brave, reckless, loyal, strong-willed, kind, and quick-tongued," Al argued.

"What about Hufflepuff?" I asked.

"Loyalty," Al responded.

I grinned. "But would you say that's all there is to Miss Ava Carter?"

Al was very quick to respond. "No, she's kind, smart, interesting, funny, caring, and really passionate."

My grin was growing larger as he caught on. "What about Ravenclaws?"

"Intelligence, but Coleen is wickedly witty, sharp tongued, sweet, diligent, forgiving, and patient as well."

"So what about Slytherins?" I asked him.

"Well they're supposed to be cunning…" He supplied.

"And they are. Just think of how cunning Ben was when it came to winning Don over. What else?"

He thought about it for a moment. "Well, Ben's crazy smart…and he's very sly, when he helps you and Fred with a prank it's wicked as hell. And he's really nice…well; he's nice to the people who are nice to his friends. What he did to that guy that guy who insulted Don was just scary. And he's really ambitious; you know he wants to be the Minister of Magic some day?" Al asked.

"And wouldn't he just make a great one?" I grinned.

"That's all I meant," Scorpius told us. "You're clever, witty, cunning, ambitious, and very smart. Although, I have to say that my Aunt was known for being poised and refined, and you, Phoe, are neither."

We all laughed cheerily.

"Kids! If you don't come down now we're going to be late meeting Astoria!" Mum yelled up the stairs.

"Coming!" We chorused back, laughing again as the word left our mouths simultaneously.

"Alright, now we're just going to floo to George's, okay?" Mum asked. We all nodded, moving aside to let James go first. After James came Lily, and I quickly followed.

"Nix!" A voice cried happily. I let out a loud laugh as I was lifted off of my feet and spun around.

"Hi Freddy!" I said cheerfully.

"I've missed you!" He laughed.

"I've miss-" I was cut off by a squeal.

"Hello my little Mandrake!" A voice shrieked. I giggled as Roxy's tanned arms shoved between her twin and I to wrap around my waist.

"Hey Rox!" I grinned. "Merlin, I haven't seen you two in forever!"

"I know!" She wailed. "Since the wedding, in fact!"

"Well, you'd think you'd seen the rest of us sooner, with all of the attention you've showed us," My Mum laughed from behind me. Roxy and Fred both blushed, and bashfully moved to hug the rest of the family.

We said goodbye to Roxy and Fred, who unfortunately weren't coming with us, and moved downstairs to the shop. I was a bit anxious as we neared the door.

"Do you think it's going to look bad?" Al voiced my thoughts.

"What?" Mum asked.

"The Alley? After the attacks?" Lily asked nervously.

Mum gave her a little smile. "No. It may look a little different, but everyone has ben working hard to fix it back up, so it should look pretty good."

We all sighed with relief.

"You ready to go?" Mum asked us.

We nodded and followed her outside.

* * *

We ducked into the Leaky Cauldron, laughing lightly as Mum reenacted the reporters we had just escaped from.

"'Lo Mrs. Weasley, Mrs. Malfoy. Avoiding someone?" The very old bartender, Tom, asked.

"Hello Tom, yes, we're avoiding some of the writers from the Daily Prophet, I'm ashamed to admit," Mum giggled.

"Perhaps a private room then?" Tom asked her.

"Yes, that would be lovely," Mrs. Malfoy said sweetly.

He smiled at her, moving to lead us towards a door in the back of the pub. I smiled at an older couple as we passed, and they offered me toothy grins in return.

"Here you go!" He said cheerfully, swinging open the door to reveal Mr. Malfoy, Dad, and Scorpius' little sister Cassiopeia.

"Albus!" She squealed, and we laughed as she ran right past her brother and into Al's arms.

"Hello!" Mum said cheerfully, moving to give Dad a kiss. "Fancy meeting you here!"

Dad laughed, wrapping his arms around her and swaying her a bit. "Well, we heard that you two were here when George popped by to give me some more Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder, so we decided to stop by for lunch."

Mum beamed, moving to sit in the seat he pulled out for her as across the table Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy did the same. Al laughed at the action, quickly moving to pull out a chair for Cassiopeia. Scorpius grinned and did the same for both Lily and I as James flung himself into a chair, glowering at the table.

"What's wrong with you son?" Dad asked. Immediately the rest of our family and Scorpius slumped back into our chairs, waiting for the outburst that was sure to follow.

"I just don't understand why they get to go to Egypt and I don't! In the past we've _always_ travelled together, and now they get to run off and visit _Egypt_ while Al and I have to stay home? I'm the same age as Phoenix, and I'm older than Lily, so there's no reason why I shouldn't be allowed!" He yelled, his face flushed with rage.

"You two are travelling to Egypt?" Mrs. Malfoy asked curiously.

"Yes, Luna needed some help with some research that she's doing, and she and Minerva determined that Phoenix would be best, seeing how she's been helping out in the Wing this past year. Lily wants to become a healer, so she expressed interest in going and Luna decided that another set of hands couldn't hurt," Mum told her.

"I thought you wished to become a Professional Quidditch Player?" Mrs. Malfoy asked me.

"I do, I…erm, well I actually started off helping in the Wing as a detention for being out after hours," I admitted, blushing.

Mr. Malfoy grinned. "Sounds appropriate for the child of both Potter and Weaselette."

"Draco!" Mrs. Malfoy admonished while he, Dad, and Mum roared with laughter. She took in my parents' amusement and allowed a light giggle to escape her.

When they finally calmed down, Mrs. Malfoy said, "James, do you wish to be a healer?"

James frowned, shaking his head.

"Well, I'm not your parent, but I do think that you would be happy for your sisters. This is a good opportunity for them both, and Lily in particular. And I do understand that you may be jealous, Egypt is a very interesting place to visit, but I'm certain that, if you really want to visit, you will have the opportunity or _find_ the opportunity to go. And if they are going on invitation of a teacher, I'm certain that taking the trip on your own will be much more fun, especially since, as of now, you would be travelling with three girls," She said simply.

James looked down, slightly abashed, before saying, "You're right, thank you Mrs. Malfoy. I'm sorry Phoenix, Lily."

"It's alright," We both chorused back.

"You're most welcome," She said warmly.

Mr. Malfoy shook his head lightly, "You, my dear, are the most Slytherin woman I have ever had the pleasure of meeting."

She smiled at him, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"Al, Al! Guess what?" Came a little voice from down the table.

"Hmm…you've sprouted wings?" Al asked goofily, feigning surprise.

Cass laughed, "No!"

"Then…you've grown a tail!" Al shouted with mock confidence.

The little girl, only six years old and completely infatuated with my youngest brother, giggled with glee. "No no no!"

"Well then…I guess it must be…" Al pretended to think very hard, while Cassiopeia practically buzzed with excitement. "Nope! I've got nothing! What is it?"

"I cut my hair!" She squealed, holding up a shortened lock for his inspection.

Al feigned surprise, though I knew that, with all of the time he spent at Scorpius' house or with his family, he must have noticed immediately. Watching Al ooh and ah over the little girl had everyone, even James, smiling widely.

Tom came in a few minutes later to take our orders, and we all grinned as Cass waited until Al had ordered, then got the exact same thing.

"Seems like you've got a fan," Tom told Albus with a wink. Al smiled as the little girl in question climbed into his lap, begging to see him do magic.

"So Phoenix, you want to play professionally?" Mr. Malfoy asked me.

"Yes sir," I responded.

"How long have you had an interest in Quidditch?"

I blushed a bit, "For as long as I can remember, really."

He smiled. "Really?"

I couldn't help but smile back. "Yes, one of my earliest memories is actually "borrowing" Mum's broom for a fly around the backyard."

Mr. Malfoy let out a laugh, looking at Mum for confirmation. "It's true," She chuckled, "She was about four at the time, and she was actually doing really well until she decided to try and stand on it."

He looked at me, wide-eyed. I shrugged. "I could do it on my training broom."

Mum smirked. "She fell about 50 feet off, I barely stopped her from hitting the ground, and she still broke her arm on the tree. When Angelina and I finally finished fussing over her, we asked her if she was alright. She responded by asking us when she got to 'do that again'."

He let out a booming laugh, "Sound's like a Potter."

I grinned, shifting my attention to Lily's conversation with Mrs. Malfoy.

"It's a very good career for a young lady like yourself, a very ambitious goal. You seem like a very intelligent girl, I'm sure you'll do very well."

Lily blushed. "Thank you ma'am."

Mrs. Malfoy opened her respond just as the food arrived. I grinned as Tom set a plate of fish and chips down in front of me.

"Enjoy!"

* * *

I was still smiling as we left the pub. Cassiopeia was now accompanying our party, as she had decided that she preferred hanging off of my brother's arm to going back to work with her father. Scorpius had tried several times to talk her into going back, but she was apparently quite determined to stay.

I loved the atmosphere of Diagon Alley. Even with everything that had happened, the place seemed to shimmer with magic and happiness. I always tried to picture the alley as my Dad had when he entered for his first time. I knew I was lucky to have grown up with magic, and I knew I was lucky to have grown up with enough food and money. My parents made sure that we all knew this, and so it was that we could occasionally forget just how famous our parents were.

"It's Ginny Potter!" A little girl squealed. Her mum gave us an apologetic look as she tried to drag her child away, but several people were already gathering around us.

"Mrs. Potter! What are your thoughts on the attack?"

"Can I have your autograph?"

"What are your thoughts on the so-called 'end of the Golden Age'?"

"What is it like to be the child of the famous Harry Potter?"

"Wait, is that Astoria Malfoy?"

"Are you two friends?"

"Merlin, could I get a picture?"

"Albus, I've heard that you and Scorpius are good friends, and that you've spent a lot of time at his home. Could you expand on this?"

"Phoenix are you single?"

"Mrs. Potter, are you implying that you agree with Minister Hastings' decision to release the Death Eaters?"

Mum was about the color of her hair, but she spoke very calmly and decisively. "Excuse me! We need to finish shopping for our children, if you don't mind. Now, I think that the attack was terrible, but that it should be a sign to the Wizarding World as a whole to keep our defenses up. Yes dear, of course you may have an autograph. As for my opinions on the end of the Golden Age, I believe that the end is inevitable, and therefor, while the end may not be upon us yet, we should most certainly be prepared for it. My children have grown up just as any child should, with respect for all of the people who risked or lost their lives fighting in the First and Second wars. Yes, this is Astoria Malfoy, I'm certain you've seen her around before. We are friends; she is quite a lovely lady. And typically, young man, one asks to take a picture before he does it. Albus and Scorpius are, in fact, best friends, so of course Albus spends time over at Scorpius' house, just as Scorp spends time at ours. And I'm fairly certain that everyone knows about Phoenix's relationship with Jay Wood, so no, she is not single. And lastly, of course I do not agree that we should release the very people that myself and my family risked our lives to lock away, but Minister Hastings is our leader and it is his job to make such decisions. Now, if you will excuse us."

And with that my Mum left the entire crowd of people staring, open mouthed, at our retreating figures. I grinned at my mother's classy and sassy response.

Someday, I hoped to be as articulate and poised as her.

* * *

Friday finally rolled around, and it was with great excitement that Lily and I waited with our bags in the living room at 8:55.

"Now remember, you two need to be safe, and you need to look out for each other. Do what Luna tells you, and remember that you are there to help. Don't take things from strangers, and-"

"Gin," Dad laughed, cutting off Mum's tirade, "They'll be fine. They're smart girls; they know what they're doing."

Mum smiled apologetically. "Just have fun, okay girls?" She amended.

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

Mum went to go get it, and we soon heard her and Madame Scamander exchanging greetings.

"Hello girls, are you ready to go?" Luna asked, drifting into the room.

We both grinned, nodding eagerly. We grasped our bags by their handles as she moved towards our fireplace. She and Mum had agreed that it would be easiest for us to all floo from our home.

"Thank you for letting me borrow them! I'll have them home safe and sound in a few weeks," Madame Scamander said to my parents.

"No problem, thank you for taking them Luna," Dad responded.

"Bye Al, James, Scorp," I grinned. Lily waved from beside me.

"Bye," They chorused back.

Our parents gave us a hug, then stepped back to let us stand in front of Luna.

"Okay, so I'm going to go first. We're headed to Scaled Wings Inn, Alexandria, Egypt. Say it with me now girls."

We repeated it a few times until we were certain we had it down.

"Good! Now, I'll meet you two there, okay?" She asked.

We nodded, stepping back a few steps to watch her go.

"Scaled Wings Inn, Alexandria, Egypt," She enunciated. We both grinned in excitement as she disappeared.

"You can go first," I told Lily. She nodded, moving forward to grab a handful of Floo Powder.

"Wait!" Mum cried.

"Ginny," Dad groaned.

"No, just hang on one second. I just want to preform a Sticking charm, that way you don't lose your trunk," Mum explained.

We nodded, seeing the logic in this, and let her preform the spell.

"Okay, now you can go. Have fun," Mum smiled.

"Scaled Wings Inn, Alexandria, Egypt!" Lily cried.

And she was gone.

"My turn!" I cried cheerily, easily masking my nerves. I quickly grabbed a handful of the powder, then stepped into the fireplace, offering everyone one last grin as I did so. "Scaled Wings Inn, Alexandria, Egypt!"

And I was off.

I grinned, knowing that I had said the words right, and was on my way for Egypt. The grin fell a bit as I hurdled into the surrounding walls a few times, but it quickly grew to its previous size when I finally toppled out of the fireplace and into Alexandria.

"Hello Phoenix! Welcome to Egypt!" Madame Scamander grinned, waving her wand to remove the Sticking charm on my trunk.

I beamed at her, then glanced around for Lily. I spotted her quickly, and moved to join her in front of a massive window.

"Holy cricket," I mumbled, staring at the view.

In front of us spanned what I knew had to be the Mediterranean Sea. It was beautiful, and spanned for about as far as I could see.

"It's so pretty," Lily sighed.

From behind us came a laugh. "Come on girls, we need to get up to our rooms. Later today we can go down to the beach for a while and explore. But first I want to take you around the city a bit, then head out to the ruins we're going to be studying. Now, we're going to stay here for three days, then on the sixth day we're going to get up early and head over to a pretty big wizarding town outside of Cairo, which is going to be our most important stop. We'll stay there for ten days. Then we're going to a little wizarding village between Fuka and El Dabaa. We'll spend four days there, and there's a special surprise waiting for you two there."

Lily and I grinned at each other excitedly.

"Now, we're going to be staying in wizarding areas the whole time, but we will be exploring both muggle and magical cities. And we won't be researching the _whole_ time; I want you two to have a good time, after all," Luna said as we moved up a flight of stairs. Lily grabbed my hand, practically bouncing with excitement as we climbed higher and higher, before finally stopping in front of a door.

"This is your room. I hope you two don't mind sharing, I figured you would be more comfortable this way. Now, I'm leaving you each with a room key, as well as a key to my room. I'm taking one of your room keys, but I won't enter your room without knocking. And my room is right across the hall. Take a look around, there's shower supplies in the bathroom that you're welcome to use. I'll come back in about an hour and we'll be leaving then," She told us.

"Thank you Madame Scamander!" Lily squealed.

She laughed. "Thank you two for coming to help. And Lily, thank you for keeping the whole deal with the you-know-whats quiet."

Lily looked at me, wide eyed.

"I owled her and Minnie to let them know you knew. They're both okay with it; Minnie actually thinks you'll be helpful," I told her. At Luna's look, I was quick to add, "And so does Luna, obviously, seeing as you're here to help us."

She offered us a shy smile. "Then thank you again," She told Madame Scamander.

"No problem at all. And you are more than welcome to call me Luna, Lily, I am your godmother, after all," Luna said with a wink. "Plus your sister already does it."

"Okay then," Lily said cheerfully.

"Well, I'm going to go now, don't forget that I'm right across the hall if you need anything. Phoenix, your Kneazle is more than welcome to roam the Inn, the Innkeeper says he'd love a to have good mouser around for a while. She should be safe from anyone who would wish to cause her harm simply because of her breed, and we can take her with us when we leave."

I nodded, smiling at Luna as she moved out the door.

"Oh, and don't forget that the laws are different here! You two are free to do magic, as you're of schooling age, just don't use any Unforgivables and don't let any Muggles see!" She added, then closed the door to our room, leaving us alone.

"Oh my Merlin, this is brilliant!" Lily gasped.

"I know!" I squealed unabashedly. "Let's go check out our view!"

We both ran further into our room only to stop with amazement.

The room was lined by three walls of windows. They were floor to ceiling, with thick curtains on either side of them, ready to be drawn should we wish for more privacy. The room itself wasn't incredibly glamorous, for it only held one nightstand set in between two twin-sized beds and a small dresser, but the view more than made up for it.

The window directly across from the bed showed the Mediterranean Sea, with both large cargo boats and small fisherman boats bobbing in its deep blue waves. Along the bottom of the window we could see miles of sandy shore, which curved upward in the distance to form the Eastern Harbour. Along the shore we could see a long, busy marketplace. Even from a distance the place had a magical appearance, and I was almost certain that I could see a woman carrying a phoenix through one of the walkways. Out the windows on either side of the room I could see a collection of buildings and streets, though the difference between muggle and wizard was not clear. The entire place was busy and exciting, and I could hardly wait to explore it.

"I call first shower!" Lily yelled, disappearing into the bathroom before I could object.

I sighed, then picked up my suitcase, moving to set it in front of one of the beds. I sat on the end of the bed and stared out the window, watching the market.

* * *

"Okay, so this is the marketplace of Alexandria. It's protected with many of the same enchantments as Diagon Alley. Phoenix, many of these enchantments are used at Quidditch matches as well," Luna said as we wove our way through the stalls. We had decided to explore part of the market before we went out to the ruins.

"Phoenix look, these are claws from a Catalonian Fireball!" Lily gasped.

I ducked under a large wicker basket before moving next to Lily to peer at the claws. She was right; I recognized the huge curved talons from pictures Uncle Charlie had shown us.

"Pretty girl," A little old lady spoke suddenly, swooping down from behind a bunch of dried Bloodroot. I carefully avoided the swinging root, not only because it must be extremely expensive (being indigenous to America), but also because it was incredibly toxic.

"Thank you," Lily said shyly.

"Little girl like animals?" The lady asked hopefully.

"Yes," She responded.

The woman nodded, offering Lily a toothy smile. "Want to see?"

Lily looked uncertainly at Luna and I, but we were just as clueless as she. So she nodded at the lady, who took her by the wrist and pulled her into her stall, waving at us to follow.

We ducked around the Bloodroot and several animal hides and entered what looked to be an exotic pet shop.

"Erm, we're not looking to buy any pets ma'am," Lily tried to explain, but the woman shook her head.

"No, no buy. Learn," She told Lily.

"Okay…" Lily said uncertainly.

And so the woman began to tell us about the different animals she had. She spoke rather broken English, but she soon discovered that Madame Scamander was fluent in Russian, which made her teachings much more detailed and informative. With Luna acting as a translator, we learned that the woman, Helga, travelled to magical marketplaces all around the world, teaching about her animals and selling some of them as uncommon pets. She was licensed to own nearly every animal in the book, so she had some very unusual creatures to show. She was delighted to meet Circe, who took to her so well I was a bit frightened she might wish to stay with Helga after I left. I was delighted to see that she was the owner of the phoenix I had seen earlier. His name was Faddei, and he had been her familiar for over half a century.

We spent several hours with the woman, and we saw more magical creatures in those hours than I had seen in all of my Care of Magical Creatures classes combined. She was just finishing up when Lily spotted something.

"Oh, Helga what is this?" She asked, gently lifting up the corner of a blanket, which covered a small cage.

"Oh, no no. Naughty monkey, monkey very naughty," Helga said waggling her finger at the cage.

Beside her, Lily's mouth had formed a perfect 'O'. I moved up next to her to see the most adorable creature I had ever seen looking back at me.

The little creature had huge brown eyes. Its fur was black, with a little white mask outlining its eyes. The fur that adorned its body was long and fluffy, and it gave us the most pitiful look as it curled its little fingers around the bars of the cage.

"May I hold it?" Lils asked pleadingly. Helga rolled her eyes, but shook her head affectionately as she moved to unlock the cage.

She stepped back as the cage opened, as though expecting an explosion, but the little Monkey simply reached out for my sister.

Lily picked it up, and we both grinned at the little finger monkey.

"He like you," Helga said. Lily smiled at her.

"Don't you have magical creatures?" I remembered suddenly.

"Oh yes," Helga responded.

She then began speaking in Russian, which Luna translated for us.

"She says that she's not entirely certain what's magical about the monkey, if it is, in fact, magical. It was being experimented on, and was in such bad shape that the Ministry was going to put it down, but she offered to nurse it back to health instead. Its never shown any sign of being magical though."

"Aw, you poor little thing!" Lily gasped. "Helga you're such a lovely person!"

I nodded, and Helga looked touched.

"And you are beautiful, beautiful girls," She said, patting all three of us on our cheeks. "Take monkey, no cost."

"Oh no, I couldn't," Lily stuttered.

"No, I insist. You good listeners. Like learning. Keep learning, and take good care. Monkey likes you. Feed it fruit. Thank you much for your company," Helga said.

"Thank you so much," Lily and I said in unison. We both moved forward, hugging Helga.

"You very welcome. Sweet girls," Helga said, patting our head affectionately before gently gripping Luna's wrist.

"Could we write you?" I asked suddenly. I wasn't sure how it would work, but I realized that I was willing to learn Russian if it meant I could keep in touch with the sweet woman, who, despite her impressive collection of creatures, seemed incredibly lonely. I didn't regret my question as I watched her face light up with excitement.

"Yeah, could we?" Lily asked hopefully.

"Yes, yes! Please write!" Helga exclaimed joyfully. Behind her, Luna smiled at us.

"Okay, then we will! And Helga," I said, digging around in my pocket until I pulled out a handful of galleons, "Thank you for teaching us."

She tried to deny the money, but I insisted until she accepted it, which moved her to tears. We left her shop with huge grins and a wealth of new knowledge, as well as a new friend to write.

"Alright girls, I hope you enjoyed that, because we need to move on to the ruins before it gets too late in the afternoon," Madame Scamander told us.

"Okay," We both responded, following her out of the twisting maze of the marketplace.

* * *

"So this is where we'll be doing most of our research while we're in Alexandria," Luna said, gesturing to the stretch of tombs and rubble in front of us. "These ruins are strictly a wizarding area. They are purely magical, so we marked them off a long time ago. Of course, that didn't stop many Muggles from seeing them, which is where so many legends and myths come from."

"Oh, like the Egyptian gods and such!" Lily exclaimed.

Madame Scamander gave her a look that I didn't quite understand before saying, "There are many things here that we could learn from. I don't think that we will find anything that's groundbreaking for _us_ here, but that's okay. Really we're here to get you two into the swing of things. Ruin reading is not as easy as one might think. We're going to have to break into several tombs or relics that were intended to remain a secret, and I want to make sure that you two are prepared for that. Now, the ruins here are pretty well explored, so we should be able to get around safely, but spells and enchantments are typically left up for beginners."

I bounced a little with excitement. This was going to be a lot more exciting then I had originally thought.

* * *

"Lily duck!"

Lily, not willing to take any chances, all but pressed herself up against the ground. Over her head, a bright yellow spike flew across the room before coming to rest in a huge boulder.

I glanced at the yellow shaft, which had somehow managed to pierce the very solid stone.

"Luna!" I screamed, ducking under a large log that swiped out of the wall. "If I die on an "easy" tomb raid-" I had to pause mid-threat to hop up and over a huge chunk of ceiling that had suddenly fallen in front of me. "-I will kill you!"

"Actually," Luna yelled over her shoulder, shooting a spell at a mummy that emerged from a hidden door beside her. "This is one of the harder ones! I wanted to make sure you two weren't going to die on me before we went to some of the REALLY fun ones!"

"Arg!" Lily cried, though whether it was caused by frustration or the cluster of spiders that had just run up her legs, I couldn't be sure.

"This ought to take care of those for you!" Luna yelled as a huge wave of water came pouring down the tunnel towards us.

"Ahh!" Lily cried.

I dove forward suddenly, gripping Lily and Luna as I flew through the air and into the false wall I had just noticed. We toppled through the hologram and into a small, dark room. Water lapped up around our legs, effectively ridding Lily of her eight-legged friends.

"Nice Phoenix!" Madame Scamander said cheerfully. "Most people don't make it past that wall. Something about the oncoming tidal wave seems to put them off."

I groaned, falling back onto the ground. From inside my pocket, Circe let out a very disgruntled meow.

"You're a right tosser," Lily told Luna as she attempted to wring out her socks.

"Aw come on now, this will be fun! This is one of the least explored tombs! We might actually learn something in this one!"

"I hope so," I said, a bit more cheerful now that I had cast a Drying spell and wasn't being shot at. "This is our last day in Alexandria and we haven't learned anything new about the _Ker_!"

"That's the spirit!" Luna laughed.

"Maybe we'll find out how to stop them!" Lily added.

I grinned, my spirits high with excitement. "Don't jinx it now Lils."

* * *

"I."

"Am."

"Dying."

I groaned, enunciating each of my words by smacking my head against the tablet in front of me.

"Come on Phoenix, don't loose hope yet," Luna said drearily. After a solid ten hours of absolutely nothing, even she was beginning to get bored.

Across the room, Lily's monkey, whom she had named Apep, after the Egyptian god of chaos, was curled up in Lily's lap, fast asleep. The name was a bit of a joke, since the little monkey hadn't proved itself to be very "naughty" at all.

"Hey Luna?" Lily called.

"Yes Lily?" She responded absentmindedly.

"The _Ker_ are Egyptian right?"

"Yeah Lils, that's why we're in Egypt."

"Okay, I just wanted to check, because the spells you have that they used aren't in this Egyptian to English book."

"Oh, okay," Luna hummed.

I, on the other hand, was interested. "What?"

Lily shrugged. "They're not in here. I've looked. I can't find thanatos, dunamis, or phobos."

I could feel my eyes growing wider as I realized what we had been missing.

"That's because they're not Egyptian…" I whispered.

"What was that Phoenix?" Madame Scamander called.

"They're not Egyptian. The spells aren't Egyptian, they're Greek!" I yelled.

"Oh my Merlin!" Lily yelled.

Luna's head snapped up. "Phoenix, that's it! Grab your stuff girls, we're going to head back to the hotel, we don't need to do anymore research here. We'll figure this out in Cairo."

Lily and I exchanged confused glances. "Erm, Luna?"

"Yes?"

"What's in Cairo?"

Luna gave us a very large smile, one so wide it was almost eerie.

"Tomorrow girls, we head to Cairo to visit an old friend of mine. Goes by the name of Ma'at."

I felt my jaw drop. "A-as in Ma'at, Egyptian goddess of truth and justice?"

Her smile grew impossibly wider. "That would be the one."

* * *

 **Bit of irony there, picking up Apep on the way to see Ma'at. Those of you who know your Egyptian mythology should like that!**

 **Who's seen the announcement trailer for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them? If you haven't, go check it out!**

scrumptiousineternetllama **: Thank you so much! You're so sweet, and your reviews are always something I look forward to. I'm glad you liked how things played out between Vic and Dom! And I'm glad the wait doesn't put you off!**

SPDrAnger006 **: Glad you liked it! We'll learn more about Fred and George in the next chapter, and hopefully that will clear up your confusion. Thanks for your review!**

Guest **: Hey Jarrod! Thanks for your awesome review! I really appreciate your opinion, and I'm glad you like the story! Fun fact: you're actual my first guest reviewer EVER, which I thought was super cool! I know that, before I got my account, I definitely read a lot of stories without ever leaving a review, but since then I've learned that reviews are what really make writing great. So thanks again!**

 **And of course, love and thanks to you for reading, reviewing, favoriting, and following!**


	19. We Meet A Goddess

**Author's Note: Hello, and happy New Year!**

 **So I know that some of you are already aware that I've posted a new story, but for those of you who aren't, I posted a story called "The Moments In Between". I won't go into too much detail here, but it's basically going to be one-shots to go along with this story. It's currently got a chap with Jay's POV for several Phoenix/Jay moments. Please go check it out if you'd like! : )**

 **More Lily development in this chapter. : )**

 **I don't own Harry Potter, but I do own a copy of the newly illustrated** _ **Sorcerer's Stone**_ **, and it's fantastic!**

* * *

 **We Meet a Goddess**

* * *

I offered Lily a nervous smile as we moved through the crowded streets, following Luna's white-blonde hair. Lily held my hand loosely, gazing at our surroundings with wide eyes.

The more I saw of Egypt, the more I liked the place. This wizarding "village", as Luna had called it, had a beautiful market, not quite as big as the one in Alexandria, but just as lively and interesting. If we hadn't been on our way to meet a goddess, Lily and I would probably be happy to spend all day wandering the streets and stalls.

I grinned as Lily's little Apep peeked over the top of her new scarf at me. I had been a bit weary of the little creature after Helga's warnings, but it truly seemed to adore Lily, and was always very well mannered.

It had also helped that Circe adored Apep, letting the monkey ride around on her back when Lily wasn't around, and snuggling him in the evenings when we returned from our adventures. I knew my Kneazle would never act like that with anything that wished me ill, so I quickly grew at ease with the adorable creature.

I had really loved learning about the history of everywhere we went. History had always interested me, but learning about it in school and learning about it in the place where it happened were two very different things. I could see why Uncle Bill had been happy working here.

Lily was very happy to be here as well. I would forever be grateful to Luna for allowing her to come.

Luna was really pleased with both Lily and I, not only for the progress we had helped make on our _Ker_ research, but also for our journaling.

I had bought Lily a beautiful blue journal on our first day in Alexandria. It was a magical journal, which had made us both a bit nervous at first, but the man who made the books had been quick to calm our fears. He had first allowed Lily to pick out the binding for her book (she had chosen a beautiful lapis lazuli blue cover). Then he had taken us back into his stall, showing us how he pressed letters and designs into the covers in elegant swirls. We had chosen a pretty silver ink to adorn the notebook, and he had covered the spine with breathtaking lilies, letting the petals spiral onto the front and back covers a bit. Then, in a lovely swirly, loopy handwriting, he wrote "Lily" on the bottom right-hand corner of the front cover.

He then pulled us further into his stall (which we had now realized was magically expanded) and showed us an array of beautiful paper. Lily and I had spent ages looking at the different styles and designs until we finally found some cream parchment with silver numbers in the bottom corners. He smiled at our choice, tapping the page with his wand to add silver lilies along the side closest to the binding. We were then surprised to watch him pick up one piece of the paper and bind it into the book, before moving on to the next room.

It was there that he made the book magical, showing us how his spells worked. He enchanted the book so that it would never run out of paper, though it would always appear to be thin and brand new. He also enchanted it so that no one could write in the book or read its pages without Lily's permission. Then he added some spells to make the notebook fireproof, waterproof, wear-and-tear resistant, and spell resistant. Finally he bound a silver ribbon between the pages, explaining that she could use it to mark her current page, and the notebook was finished.

It had cost quite a bit, nearly half of my savings, but the grin on Lily's face made up for it. She offered to buy me one in return, but I was happy with the little notebook Mum had given me before our first year at Hogwarts. It wasn't quite as pretty, but it had endless parchment, it was enchanted for my eyes and quills only, and it probably held more of my thoughts and ideas than my own head did. So I convinced her to buy a pot of silver ink instead.

She had carried the journal with her since then, and it now held nearly everything she had learned since getting here. She was pleased to find that the book added pages where she wanted them, so she was able to keep her book organized with "sections". She had one section for History, one for Herbology, one for Potions, one for Healing, and so on. She had spent nearly half of the night writing in the notebook after we had met Helga, and the section titled "Magical Creatures" now held more information than most textbooks.

I had done the same in my own journal, though I had decided to be a bit brave and had sketched pictures for all of my notes. I had been surprised to find that I really enjoyed drawing, though it was a bit difficult, and I wasn't the best at it. Lily had looked over my drawings and said that she thought they were fine, but I was just content that you could tell what I was trying to sketch.

I had also found out that Lily had been offered Ravenclaw by the Sorting Hat as well. I had asked her about it after one long night we spent writing and comparing our notes. She told me that both she and Alice had been allowed to choose between Ravenclaw and Gryffindor, but both were content with Gryffindor. I was a bit embarrassed I hadn't realized when she had first told me about their desire to become healers.

Still, it was interesting to learn more about the two, most particularly my little sister. I was a bit ashamed that I knew so little, but she brushed it off, saying that we had so many family members and friends we were lucky to remember everyone's names.

I liked learning about her. I liked knowing that she wrote all of her class notes in blue ink. That she wrote in a loopy handwriting similar to mine because when she was small she had thought it was pretty and stole my papers to try and mimic it. That she liked wearing dresses, skirts, and heels. That she was secretly jealous of my curls. That she had a "teeny, tiny" crush on Lysander, and that he had been owling her even more than usual since we were travelling with his mum.

Now I could see the notebook sticking up out of her bag. I knew that she was looking forward to adding to her new section, labeled "Gods". I wasn't so sure I was feeling the same, for mine was already filled with information about Anubis. Lily had kept that information under " _Ker_ ", but I had separated the two, knowing that there was too much going on with Minister Hastings' plan to stick it all together.

We were both nervous though. After her original confirmation of the identity of Ma'at, Luna had refused to tell us anything.

"Come on girls," Madame Scamander called us over to a stall where a beaming man stood, surrounded by…carpets?

"No way," I breathed. Lily gave me an excited glance.

Luna grinned at our awestruck expressions. "I figured we'd rent one out. They're very efficient, and it's not like we'll have the opportunity to ride them again any time soon, seeing as they're illegal back home."

We bounced forward with excitement and helped Luna carry the heavy blue rug. We moved it out onto a little clearing in the back, carefully unrolling the magic carpet and settling down on it.

"So you'll take these two tassels here," Luna said to me, holding them out for me to take.

"Whoa wait. You want me to drive?" I asked in shock.

She smiled at me. "Yes, I do. You are amazing at _flying_ , and I want you to try out a new method of doing so."

I blushed a bit at her correction, knowing that she was simply educating me on the proper term, and at the compliment. "But is it even legal for me to _fly_ one of these?"

Luna shrugged lightly. "Maybe, maybe not. Now let's go!"

I nervously took the tassels in my hands. I grinned a bit as we slowly took to the air. Circe, being the crazy little kitten that she was, sat in my lap, gazing calmly out over the city as we rose towards the sky. Madame Scamander was calling out instructions to me, but I tuned her out. I could feel the carpet humming beneath me, and I knew that it would do what I wanted it to. It had the same feel to it that a good broomstick did. I sat back a bit, enjoying the view. I was in my element.

"Where to?" I called over the rush of the wind. I was grateful now for the scarves that Luna had insisted on buying us. The wind was so strong I was worried it was going to leave me bald.

"Fly down over those dunes there!" She yelled back.

"What about muggles?" Lily asked suddenly.

"It's enchanted!" I shouted as I directed us towards the mass of sand dunes. "If anyone were to look up, we'd appear to be the sky."

"Good Phoenix!" Luna yelled, surprise coloring her tone.

I blushed again. "I've read up on most types of magical transportation!" I admitted.

I could hear her grin as she shouted back to me. "I thought you seemed pretty comfortable flying this thing!"

I laughed. I couldn't keep the grin off of my face as we drifted over the edge of Cairo. The wind was insane, but I was delighted to be flying an actual magical carpet. I had longed to do so ever since I had first read a chapter about them in _The Enchanting Of Broomsticks_.

Jay would be _so_ jealous.

I jumped when Lily's voice suddenly spoke into my ear.

"A whole new world!" She shouted, wrapping her arms around my waist.

I cracked up, recognizing the song from one of the videos Aunt Hermione had shown us. "That's where we'll be!" I sang back.

"A thrilling chase!" She yelled.

"A wondrous place!"

"For you and me!" We both sang dramatically, sweeping our hands over the land and pulling mock-serious faces.

We both broke into laughter. "I can't believe we remember all of the words!" Lily shouted.

"I can! James made us watch that movie a thousand times!" I laughed.

Suddenly, Luna shouted, "Land behind that pillar there!"

I immediately became serious, carefully maneuvering the carpet down towards the ground. It had hit me all over again that we were going to go see a goddess, and my nerves were back with vengeance.

I landed gently, and couldn't help but smile lightly at that.

"Good Phoenix," Madame Scamander praised. "Now everyone off, and I'll have it rolled up and shrunken in a moment here."

We stood off to the side as she waved her wand about, maneuvering the large rug into a neat roll and then shrinking it. Lily took my hand again, and I gave it a light squeeze. I frowned as I glanced over at her and found her staring back into my eyes.

"Shorty," She teased.

"Now, let's get going girls," Luna said. We walked along behind her as she strode confidently through the shifting sand. Lily and I struggled to keep up.

Naturally, the goddess has to live out in the desert. She couldn't have lived up a tree on the edge of the Nile, or somewhere a bit easier to get to…

Finally we could see a large shrine in the distance. I could feel the magic surrounding the place, and it took my breath away. After all of the Egyptian research I had done recently, I was easily able to recognize where we were.

"This is the lost Shrine of Ma'at," I said in awe. "The magic used on this thing is incredible. They preformed dozens of spells to create an extraordinary shrine, but the magic used was so powerful they had to use twice as much to hide it away from muggles. In doing so they accidentally hid it away from us wizards as well. It's been lost for centuries."

"Why did they spend so much time on hers? There are other shrines to the gods that muggles know about," Lily asked.

"Ma'at was the goddess of truth and justice," I explained, gripping her hand tightly as she slid a bit. "She was also the concept of order, balance, harmony, law, and mortality. She was believed to regulate the stars, seasons, and the actions of mortals and even the deities. But her most important role in Egyptian history took place in the underworld, Duat. There she weighed her feather against the hearts of the departed, and determined where they would live out their afterlives-"

"No, wait," Lily interrupted, confused, "That was Anubis. Anubis weighed the hearts, because he was the god of funerals and death."

I smiled lightly at her as we reached the great temple. "No, Anubis lead the souls down to Duat, and he oversaw the weighing of the hearts, but he didn't actually do it."

"Very good," Came a sudden voice.

I flinched, looking around in a panic and realizing that we were standing just meters away from the shrine. I held my wand by my side, but the owner of the voice seemed to be in no hurry to show their self.

"There is no need for that, little one. You are here to see me, are you not?"

I gaped as a figure materialized in front of me. I recognized her tall outline and the ostrich feather sticking out of the circlet on her head immediately.

I kneeled quickly, dragging a mute Lily down with me.

The goddess laughed. "My, you are very polite. But please, rise. Any friend of Luna's is a friend of mine, and you are most certainly a friend of Luna's if she has brought you here to see me."

I tried not to ogle at the school healer as we rose from the ground. She was on a first name basis with a _goddess_.

Luna smiled sweetly at Lily and I.

"Please come inside," Ma'at said, gesturing towards her temple. We followed mutely as she drifted towards the building. As she approached, the place shuddered, then a massive opening grew along the face of the shrine. I gazed in wonder at the intricate carvings on the walls, for they looked brand new despite thousands of years of fierce wind and sand.

And it was true what legend said about the walls themselves. They really were made of solid gold.

The inside of the temple was as extraordinary as the outside. It was absolutely covered in books (to Lily's and my delight), what looked to be some very recent maps (to our surprise), ostriches (to our amusement), and what appeared to be tiny versions of the stars (to our amazement, for the little balls of gas looked _extremely_ realistic). The gleaming walls were completely covered in tiny hieroglyphs, most of which were probably incredible spells.

I wanted know every secret the room held. But Luna placed her hand on my back and gently moved me further into the room.

Ma'at seemed a bit amused by our wonder. "I suppose you have questions?"

Lily and I both nodded shyly. Despite her status, I longed to whip out my journal and drill her with questions, reporter style. One glance at Lily told me she was thinking the same thing.

Madame Scamander giggled. "If you'd like to ask her about your journals, I would suggest you do so now. You'll regret it if you don't."

We both blushed.

"What of these journals?" Ma'at asked.

"U-um, well we have these journals that we-oh!" I stopped suddenly, struck by a terrible thought. "I'm so, so sorry for our horrid manners. I'm Phoenix, Phoenix Annette Potter. And this is my sister, Lily Luna Potter."

Ma'at offered us a smile, and I was struck not only by the beauty of the deity, but also by the power that I could feel rolling off of her. It wasn't like that of the _Ker_ ; it was older, and much stronger. Yet it was similar, simply in the feel of the magic surrounding us.

I was so distracted with my train of thoughts that I almost missed her response.

"Do not worry in the slightest. I am so unpracticed in the way of greetings that I didn't even notice. Now, your journals?"

"Oh, well we have these journals that we write information about the things we see, hear, and experience down in. They're enchanted to never run out of pages, and to only allow us to read and write in them. Lily's also has some professional protection spells on it, and I did a few on mine, though I suspect they're not as good as those on hers," I explained, trying not to ramble nervously.

She seemed very thoughtful. "May I see these journals?"

I could feel my face growing hot, and I could see Lily's turning scarlet from the corner of my eye. A _goddess_ wanted to see _our_ journals?

We quickly dug through the satchels Luna had given us, pulling out our journals and handing them to her. Part of me half expected the books to go right through the spectral being, but she took them from us with ease, gently leafing through the pages with an expression of interest upon her face.

"I wonder," She said thoughtfully, giving me a measuring glance as she spoke, "if you would happen to know the identity of my husband?"

I blushed. Having done my research on all things Egyptian, I knew most everything that there was for mortals to know about the goddess.

"Um, he's Thoth, god of knowledge, right?" I asked, a bit shyly. I twirled my wand between my fingertips, hoping that the nervous gesture didn't come off as threatening.

"Indeed he is. And through him I have come to appreciate the wonders of knowledge and learning, as you can no doubt realize from my rather extensive library. These little journals clearly show that you two hold a similar fondness for such things, so, if you would allow it, I would like to offer you a trade. I would very much like to let you record the things we speak of in these books, but I think that our conversation will reveal things that need to be kept in the utmost secrecy," She explained. We nodded, trying not to look too disappointed, but the deity wasn't finished. "However, should you allow me to cast some of my own protection spells on them, you would be more than welcome to use your journals during our conversation," She said.

Lily and I exchanged looks of slight disbelief, before I remembered my manners. "We would be honored to have you place protection spells on our notebooks, and we thank you very much for doing so."

She smiled, then gently waved her hand over the books. Lily and I watched in total awe as the journals glowed gold and blue, a strange symbol appearing in a flash of light over their covers. She spoke a few words in a language I didn't understand, and then she handed our journals back to us.

I looked over my little journal, but it seemed relatively the same. The only difference was the small symbol pressed just inside the front cover. I smiled at it, though I wasn't quite sure why. The little symbol was a human-like figure, with an upside down 'V' for legs, and a little 'o' for a head. It almost resembled the hieroglyph tattooed on the small of my back, but rather than having a simple 'V' for arms, the little symbol's limbs were caught in motion. They were bent, in an action that looked like a dance.

I don't know why, but the little symbol screamed "freedom".

"That mark has become rather important as of late," Luna said cryptically.

"Indeed," Ma'at agreed.

"Now, let's get down to business," Luna suggested.

Ma'at offered her a smile, but waited patiently for us to pull out a quill and some ink.

"Now," The goddess began, "you two are more than welcome to ask any questions you may have, but I believe it would be wise of us to first discuss the more pressing matter at hand. Many years ago, when I first met Luna Lovegood…"

* * *

It was much, much later that evening when I was finally able to begin processing everything I had been told.

Madame Scamander had first met Ma'at when she was fresh out of school. She had been travelling the ancient parts of the world in an attempt to find one of the "darker" aspects of magic. She had been determined to recover a spell that she had heard rumors of in a local village along the Nile. The spell was rumored to be something terrible, and she wanted to find a way to counteract it. She finally stumbled across the spell late one evening, but she wasn't prepared for the ancient being that had been guarding it to rear its head. Thoth was furious that a mere mortal had uncovered the wicked spell, which had been hidden by the gods after it had swept the world, transforming from a spell intended to be used on naughty children to a binding spell more powerful than the Imperius.

She explained her intentions to the god, not really expecting him to accept her reasons. But Thoth took her by surprise, for he wasn't married to the goddess of truth for nothing. Seeing that her reasons were genuine, the god took her to the temple of Ma'at, where she became the first mortal to step foot in the shrine since it was built. She spent many weeks travelling to and from the temple, and during those weeks she managed to update the gods on everything she knew about the magical world. The gods were current in their information to a point, but their knowledge revolved mainly around Egypt, and the other societies that had existed when they had been worshipped by all (so mainly Greece and Rome). They were horrified to hear about Lord Voldemort, and agreed that things would have been much worse for the magical world if he had been able to create the _Ker_ , or to bind people as his slaves, as Luna, Minnie, and I were now.

Delighted to have the approval of the gods, Luna was quick to ask for their assistance in finding the spell's counterspell.

But therein lay the problem. The spell, which had originally been a simple charm that caused wayward children to be more abiding of their parents wishes, had been spread across all of the ancient societies. As it had travelled, it, like all magic had done at such a young age, had changed. The gods agreed with Luna's theory of "grey magic". Dark magic and light magic were rubbish ideas, in their opinion, because all magic stemmed from simple charms with very innocent purposes. Ancient magic developed into modern spells because ancient beings liked to test the limits of magic. They pushed and pulled every spell and charm until they had discovered every possible variation of it, which is why we had so many spells around now, and why there were spells that were no longer in use.

The spell had changed into something terrible, something that took away the basic human rights; took away the ability to make decisions and act on your own free will. The gods were furious at this, for they believed that only supreme beings should have such abilities. So they removed the spell (but not until after several thousand years of it being in use; time did move differently for gods, after all) from the knowledge of all humans, locking it away and guarding it fiercely. But in the spell hadn't been changed in Egypt. The spell had been changed in some other country, and the gods no longer understood it. The spell was purposefully encrypted, so that even getting to the incantation would be a struggle, and then the immortals would have to figure out what language it was now in, and decode it.

But the gods didn't tell Luna that. They didn't want to admit that they were uncertain of a spell that had come from their own land. So they let Luna work on it some, hoping that she would solve their problem for them.

But once she began her research, Luna was very confused, for the gods had described a series of terrible spells and enchantments that were to be guarding the spell. But to Luna, it seemed that all of the spells had disappeared. The gods were horrified, for that left only one explanation.

Someone had removed the enchantments while the gods had been busy. Which meant that someone had seen the spell.

Still, Luna was not to be discouraged from her research. Luna worked on the spell for several years, meeting Rolf Scamander in that time.

And somewhere along the way, she became friends with the gods.

But Luna had to stop researching the spell when she found out she was pregnant with Lorcan and Lysander. It was simply too dangerous to research such a spell and risk it having an effect on her children. So she became a very skilled healer with very little effort, for she had come to learn much while being in almost constant contact with the god of knowledge. Rolf knew a bit of what she had done while in Egypt, but he never questioned what she didn't tell, which was one of the reasons Luna loved him.

He saw the true Luna, the fiercely intelligent Ravenclaw who had left all of her friends and family just a year after a devastating battle to try and protect the wizarding world. He knew enough about her work to know that she needed to keep it a secret, so the young Magizoologist, grandson of the famed Newt Scamander, came up with the perfect cover story. As far as anyone knew, he and Luna had met while researching magical creatures. The two had hit it off, with Rolf falling for her "quirky" personality, and that was that.

Lily and I had also learnt much about the ways of gods, and about ancient times. We were utterly fascinated to hear about ancient customs and cultures, and we had, completely without realizing it, spent nearly all of our 10 days in Cairo with the goddess. She had provided food and drinks, and we had rested when we felt tired; hardly noticing the time passing, despite spending long hours laying in the sun just outside the golden tomb, reading ancient novels (Lily and I were grateful to have taken Ancient Runes, for most of the books were in hieroglyphics).

Time truly did move differently around the gods, and we were in the realm of a goddess.

I still had difficulties wrapping my head around Ma'at's status. The more we spoke with her, the more I had gotten used to the deity. Despite her old-fashioned way of speaking, she actually seemed relatively normal, once you got past the fact that she gave off waves of power and appeared for all intents and purposes to be a particularly substantial ghost.

She gave us free reign of her library, so long as we promised to put down anything that we found particularly disturbing. She also showed us how her tiny solar system worked, and we were amazed to learn that her little stars were genuine suns, just on a much smaller scale. The ostriches were a bit of a challenge, particularly for Circe, who seemed to hate them with a passion, but we soon seemed for form a sort of truce with the stubborn creatures. I was concerned over the Kneazle's hatred at first, but Ma'at explained that the creatures were actually alive due to magic, which technically made them reminiscent of the _Ker_. Their undead status caused them to seem evil in my Kneazle's mind, which was a good thing.

We had all left the shrine's little reserve several times, and I had actually left the most out of anyone. The reason for this happened to be certain blue carpet, which I had been enjoying late at night, while using a star chart Ma'at had loaned me.

The feeling I got while flying was indescribable. It was freeing. It made my heart race, it helped me clear my head, the wind blowing past me had me feeling like a bird, and the feeling of absolutely racing along above the ground left me feeling almost fae-like.

What I wouldn't give to be able to fly on my own.

* * *

On our last day in Cairo, Ma'at presented us with several gifts, the first of which was a little pendant. Luna slipped hers on a chain that she wore around her neck, while Lily accepted hers on a little ribbon. I followed Luna's lead; taking my pendant and slipping it onto the necklace Jay had given me, taking the little adornment into my hand and examining it. It was a golden hieroglyph, and I smiled at the familiar symbol, a sense of safety overwhelming me.

The little pictograph of a dancing person still screamed freedom, and having it hanging next to the broomstick charm, just over my heart like Jay had intended, made me feel protected.

The next gift was an ostrich feather for each of us. The birds, though scary, were beautiful, and we understood that Ma'at giving us one from her own birds was very significant. She told us, smiling fondly all the while, that the feathers would make excellent quills.

She then gave Luna a small chest. Lily and I didn't ask what was within, and the two friends didn't offer any answers. It had been really amazing to see the bond that Luna and the goddess shared, The ancient being held a love for the healer that was completely unexpected, but genuine. Luna had tried to explain it to Lily and I one night, telling us how the goddess had spent thousands of years by herself, visited rarely by her husband and never speaking to mortals, until Luna came along. It was sweet, really, in a very sad sort of way.

Lily was given a small chest as well, the contents of which she shared with me as soon as we were in private. The box was filled with healing books and scrolls, rare seeds and herbs, Herbology books, magical creature books, and Potions books. It also contained maps, books that taught runes, symbols, and languages, and a bag full of foreign money. The chest was small, so little she could tuck it into her bag, but there was clearly an enlarging spell on the inside. Lils cried, thanking the deity repeatedly.

The first thing I came across in my little trunk made my breath hitch. A familiar blue rug sat atop an assortment of things, neatly rolled up and waiting to be used.

"How…what…?" I asked in shock.

Ma'at smiled at me. "I gave Luna some money and had her purchase this for you. I understand that you are not allowed to own magical carpets in your land, but what is not known to others cannot hurt them." She winked, and I felt myself returning her wide grin. "Also, it will most likely prove to be very useful in a pinch."

The next thing I came across was the beautiful star chart I had been borrowing. Underneath that laid a few history books, and a collection of Charms books that had me positively bouncing with eagerness. I also received a bag of foreign coins and bills, as well as several maps. I grinned at the little book labeled _Winged Creatures and Things That Soar_. But it was the last book that made me freeze in my tracks.

 _Flight_ twinkled at me in faded gold letters.

It wouldn't have struck me as anything more than another broomstick novel if I hadn't been such a bookworm. But I was, and I knew exactly what I was looking at.

"T-this is _Flight_ ," I stuttered. "As in _the_ book of _Flight_?"

Ma'at gave me a look of pride. "I knew you would know it. Yes, this book will teach you the art of Flight. It is enchanted in ways similar to your journal, so you don't need to worry about being unbearably cautious with it, but you would still do well to be wary of its whereabouts. The art of Flight is a difficult skill to master, and only those of the purest, strongest magic can learn it, but I have faith in you Phoenix. Just understand that once others know you possess the skill, _all_ will know it. And there are some who would do anything to learn the secrets of Flight."

I could hardly breathe. I understood exactly what I had just been given, but I didn't know how to thank her for such an amazing gift.

"I…I truly don't know how to thank you. I'm unbelievably grateful," I stuttered.

Ma'at smiled at me, and then at Lily. "As I am grateful to have met the two of you. I have come to know few mortals in my life, and had it been a few centuries ago I would not have given you the time of day. But long, lonely hours change even the most supreme of beings, and I am no exception. You are two very gifted girls, and I look forward to meeting the two of you again."

Much to my embarrassment, neither of us could stop the tears from welling in our eyes. She then handed each of us a collar for our pets, explaining that they would grow as our pets did, so we didn't need to worry about them being too small. They were blue, with a familiar gold glyph hanging from them.

Freedom.

We walked out of the tomb in tears, unrolling my rug slowly to allow Luna a chance to say goodbye to our favorite deity. I smiled slightly as we took our seats on the carpet, enjoying the now familiar feeling of the rug's magic buzzing softly beneath me. Magical carpets were similar to broomsticks in the sense that each had their own feel, but magical carpets were more…emotional. They possessed a very personal magic, for magical carpets were designed with the intended purpose of being passed down throughout families. This was one of the reasons they had been outlawed, for any magic that gave ordinary objects a personality was considered to be "evil". In some cases this could be correct (Tom Riddle's diary), but in many instances it was very far from the mark. Familiar magic simply created a sense of loyalty to the owner of the object.

My rug made me feel safe, and I was grateful that Ma'at had purchased it, rather than buying me a new one.

"We're headed north, back towards the sea," Luna told me as she settled on the carpet. I nodded, carefully raising us up into the air as we waved goodbye to Ma'at. Circe let out a little meow, climbing out from my pocket to lie down on my tanned ankles. Lily appeared beside me, stealing my kitten before she could get comfortable and allowing her to join Apep in her lap instead. Lils then rested her head on my shoulder, grinning at the stars that spanned across the sky before us.

"Thank you so much for letting me come," Lily whispered.

I smiled. "Thank you so much for coming. I'm so glad that you did. I'm glad that you know everything, and I'm glad that we got to do all of this together. I have a lot of friends Lils, a lot of really good friends. Best friends, like Dom, Freddy, Jay, and Rox. Good friends, like Ben, Nikki, Coleen, Lana, Don, and Arnold. But you're my sister. We're lucky enough to have a big family that we've grown up with; a bunch of built in best friends. But nothing will ever replace the friendship we have. And I'm crazy glad we got to spend so much time together this summer. Cause things have been kind of scary lately. And I like learning about you. You're such an…impressive person, I guess."

Lily interrupted my sappy speech to laugh. "Thanks Phoe."

I had to laugh with her. "Not what I meant. I just don't know how else to describe it. You're crazy driven, and it's really impressive."

She nudged me playfully. "Runs in the genes."

I smirked. "I always knew James and I couldn't really be related!"

She snorted, "Must be a female-only thing."

I cackled a bit, "So that makes Al a girl? Because he's definitely driven when it comes to magical creatures, though a certain redhead helps with that one!"

"So Ava, how 'bout those hippogriffs?" Lily said in a poor imitation of our brother.

We roared with laughter, the sentimental moment gone, but the sisterly feeling remaining. We talked into the wee hours of the morning, giggling as our pets slunk out of Lily's lap to join Luna in her Silencing spell.

We finally reached the seaside town just as dawn broke. Luna woke up about an hour before we arrived, and she had been buzzing about our surprise since then.

I had, in all honesty, completely forgotten about the surprise Luna had mentioned at the beginning of the trip. I had been too wrapped up in the research, in meeting a goddess, and in just enjoying the trip and all of the things we were given along the way. But now that she had mentioned it, Lils and I were having a hard time containing our excitement, to the point where I felt like Uncle Ron at Christmas.

"You can park down there Phoenix, and then we can head to the hotel," Luna directed.

* * *

It may have been our lack of sleep that caused the childlike excitement, but Lily and I bounced in place as Luna checked us in. She clearly found this amusing, and Luna continued to smirk at us all the way down the hall and as she opened the door to our new room. I was still bouncing excitedly; too joyful to try and decipher what the look meant, when I was distracted by a figure _inside_ our room. The giddiness left me and I was instantly on the defensive, but there was something strangely familiar about the being…

"Dom!" I cried as I realized why, sprinting into the room without hesitation.

My best friend let out a loud laugh; lifting me off of me feet into a bone crushing hug. I buried my face in her short hair, my laughter muffled as I gripped her equally as hard.

"Hi!" Dominique said when we finally let go of each other.

"Hey Dom," Lily said, moving in for a hug. "You look good."

I took a step back to check her out, and couldn't stop the grin that formed at her appearance.

She certainly no longer looked like "Vic's twin". She was already sporting a deep tan, which brought out a mass of freckles that I hadn't known she had. Her hair was much lighter due to her extended exposure to the sun, and she looked rather lean and muscular. She was also sporting a wicked looking burn on her freckled shoulder.

"Someone went to go see Uncle Charlie!" I laughed.

"I did! I was scared of just going out into the world, so I've been with him since I left. I was just thinking of where to go next when Madame Scamander owled me to let me know that you lot would be visiting here if I was interested in stopping by," She said, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear.

"Whoa!" Lily yelled, "That's one wicked fang!"

Dom smirked, tilting her head to show off the dragon tooth dangling from her ear.

I could only beam as she began telling Lily about how she had gotten it. Dom had left to go find herself, and it was clear that she was doing just that.

* * *

We ignored our exhaustion in favor of going to explore. The beachside stop, we soon learned, had nothing to do with research. The last four days of our vacation were to be just that-a holiday. We lounged on the beach, shopped in the market, and spent late nights giggling and gossiping with Dom. Dom wove beautiful tales of dragons and adventure, and I tried to ignore the aching in my chest that told me we would be parting ways, yet again, all too soon.

We stood on the beach on the last day of the trip for a few magical pictures. The first we took with Luna, and the picture was all wide smiles and cheery waves from two blondes and two insanely tanned redheads. The second was Lily and Luna, and godmother and goddaughter made quite the pair as they flung their arms around each other with a grin. The third was just Lils and I, and we grinned cutely at the camera. The fourth was insanely goofy, for Lily, Dom, and I decided to see who could pull the silliest face. Our picture selves took the challenge to heart, and the loop of movement from within the frame wouldn't repeat a face, no matter how long we watched. The last one was just Dom and I, and in the image I leapt onto her back, and we both laughed hysterically as she staggered dramatically, holding me up piggyback style, before we both shot huge, toothy grins at the camera. It was perfectly Dom and I, and it was the look of pure peace and happiness that we both wore that truly made the picture perfect.

I tucked copies of all of the pictures bar the one of Lily and Luna into my wallet. We then went out for fish and chips, and afterwards Luna bid us goodnight, heading back to the hotel. But Lily, Dom, and I decided to spend all night at a little fair in the town center. We left for home the next morning, and none of us wanted to waste a moment of our last night sleeping.

Especially since Dom wasn't going home with us.

We took a few more pictures throughout the night, after purchasing a disposable muggle camera from a vender early on. Those too were tucked into wallets, Dom using a copy spell to make sure we each got all of the images. We played a game of One Ball, where we were given a ball and asked to knock over a pyramid of milk jugs. We all enjoyed the look of amazement from the game's owner as we knocked them over with ease, Lily with a throw so powerful it could only come from a Beater, tiny though she was, Dom more likely than not with a bit of magic, and me with an easy Chaser's toss. We each walked away with huge stuffed animals, Dom's in the shape of a dragon, mine a crocodile, and Lily's (to our amusement) an ostrich.

We drank coffee, which Lily thought was disgusting, to stay awake, and we didn't return until we absolutely had to. But eventually, we stood in front of the fireplace, struggling to keep tears from running down our faces. We had just finished thanking Luna (repeatedly) and were now faced with the difficult goodbye before us.

"Bye Dom," Lily cried, flinging her arms around our cousin. Dom picked Lils up, letting her feet swing as they stood locked in a tight embrace. The landlady looked on with pity on her face.

"Bye Lilyflower," Dom said sweetly, setting her down gently and letting her step back into the fire.

Lily let out a little sob, offering a half-hearted wave as she croaked out our address. Dom sniffled as she watched Lily go, and I knew it would be a long time before the two saw each other again.

I struggled to control myself as Dom turned to face me. Luna suddenly became fascinated with something out of the window, and the landlady discovered a glass that was in desperate need of some cleaning.

"I wish you were coming back with me. Actually, no, that would be selfish. I wish I were going with you, instead," I whimpered. Dom sighed as I started to cry.

"You're making me cry," She whinged, as though tears hadn't already been running down her cheeks. She pulled me into a tight hug, and I clung to my best friend with abandon.

"I'm going to miss you so much," I whispered.

"I'm going to miss you more," Dom whispered back. She frowned a bit. "But as much as I'm going to miss you, I don't understand why this is bothering you _so much_. You don't do tears, and while I would be offended if you didn't shed a few for me, you're _shaking_ Annie."

It was true. My whole body was quivering, and was now openly sobbing.

"I don't know," I cried. "I just…Dom I have a _bad_ feeling."

Her eyes grew wide. "About me leaving?"

I shook my head no. "Just about us parting. I don't think anything's going to happen to either of us while we're apart, I just feel like we shouldn't do it."

Dom's face relaxed a bit. "Well, as long as nothing happens to us, I think it should be alright."

I struggled to stem the tears flowing from my eyes. When I finally got myself under control, Dom wrapped her arms around me tightly.

"Love you Annette," She mumbled thickly.

"Love you Dom," I sighed. I was still trembling slightly as she let me go.

"I'll write you. At least once a week. Maybe once every two weeks if I'm busy," She said firmly.

Despite my sadness, I smirked a bit. "I might write you back. If I feel up to it."

She laughed, swatting me with her hand. "You'll write me back or I'll send a Howler!"

I giggled.

Dom smiled, then pulled me forward for one last, bone-crushing hug.

"I'm going to miss you. Learn something, do something crazy, stay safe. Meet someone hot and then ditch him after a few days. Or date him for 9 months and then get married. Just be happy Dom," I told her.

She chuckled. "This is why you're my very best friend. Because you're a worse influence than I am!" We both snorted. "I'll do…some of that. Maybe. And you, don't you work too hard. Don't stress over your OWLs. Write me if you need help. Do something crazy when you can. Kiss that boyfriend of yours lots. Nothing more than kissing though. Make some good Quidditch plays. Stay safe, Phoenix. I'll miss you too, lots and lots."

We smiled at each other, still a little tearful. Then I stepped back into the fireplace.

"I'll see you. Maybe at Christmas!" Dom promised.

"I hope so!" I enthused.

"Love you Phoenix Annette," My best friend dimpled at me.

"And I love you, Dominique Evelyn," I smiled back, then forced myself to throw down the floo powder. Her face remained on my mind the whole way back, and I couldn't shake the horrid feeling that dodged our goodbye.

The feeling clung even after I stepped out of the fireplace, but it faded a bit as I hugged my Mum and Dad, and more so as I hugged Scor, Al and James.

I let out a squeal as Roxy and Aunt Angelina appeared, revealing that they would be staying with us until we left for school. I finally let go of the feeling as my other best friend appeared in the doorway of my living room, practically bouncing with joy.

"FREDDY!" I shrieked, tackling him in a giant bear hug.

"NIX!" He yelled back, happy to shout in my ear as he spun me around. "I'VE MISSED YOU SO MUCH! YOU'RE NEVER ALLOWED TO GO AWAY AGAIN!" He squeezed me tight. "Not as long as you live," He whispered into my ear.

I pulled back, looking him over quickly. He looked a bit ill, and much too sad for my liking.

He offered me a half-hearted smile, giving his signature wink. "I know I'm good looking and all, but please refrain from checking me out openly."

I played along, hiding my concern. "I just can't help it! I mean look at you!"

He grinned, taking my bags from me. "Well I guess we'll just have to let you have your way then. It would be cruel to do anything else!"

I feigned gratitude, hoping onto his back for a piggyback ride as he turned around. "Thank you, kind sir. Your consideration is much appreciated."

Our family laughed as he carried me up the stairs towards my room. I felt a bit bad for ditching Rox, but I knew that she would have noticed that her brother was off, so I doubted she minded much. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if the sudden change in Freddy was the reason for their unplanned visit.

Fred gently set my stuff down, then he carried me to my closet. He waited patiently, back turned and eyes out the window, as I changed into sweats and an old Quidditch jersey. It may be summer, but Mum liked to keep the house _freezing_.

He turned back around as I climbed into my bed, making the old frame creak. I settled back against the headboard, folding my legs crisscross. Fred climbed onto my bed behind me, gently putting his head down in my lap. I ran my fingers through his hair, looking down at him. To everyone else, Freddy and I had a playful relationship, two cousins who were closer to siblings, who always kept each other from getting serious. We were like that muggle movie Peter Pan. He was Peter and I was Wendy, and we made it our goal to make everyone our Lost Boys. That was what everyone thought, and that was what we let them believe.

But there was more to it than that. While Dom was certainly my girl best friend, and was perfect in that aspect, Freddy was definitely my guy best friend. He knew (most) of my secrets (with one obvious exception), he took me on adventures, and he helped me solve my problems. And our friendship was a two way street. I was always ready to help him with his problems, and I would always accept him, no matter how silly they were.

But as his eyes welled up with tears, I knew this wasn't a trivial problem.

I hummed quietly, playing with his shaggy hair as I waited patiently for him to speak. I wasn't a very patient person, but I knew that Fred needed a moment.

Finally he spoke, in a thick voice that made my chest ache. "It's just. I thought that I was okay with it. I mean…not okay with it. But I could handle it. I mean…I'm tough, yeah? Got to be, I'm named after my dad's dead twin… But it just…I can't handle it anymore. It hurts, gods it hurts so bad Nix."

My heart broke as he rambled, and despite having filled my quota for tears for the month, I didn't so much as sigh as they began to stream down Freddy's face. I simply brushed them away with my thumbs, cupping his face with my hand as he continued to go off on a tangent. I had no idea what he was on about just yet, but I would let him talk it out.

"I know that you know it bothers me, but no one else even seems to see it. They think that we're invincible, you and me. But we're not. I'm not. I want someone else to see it. I want them to care. But I don't need it. Because you care, and that's enough. But I want him to care. I want him to fix it. I know you could fix it. You always try to, but I don't let you. But I think I would let you fix it, now."

He sniffled, meeting my eyes, letting tears run down his face without shame. Freddy shared my hatred for tears, but he wasn't scared to bare his soul to me.

"I want my Dad to love me Nix. I want him to see how hard I try. I try s-so, so _hard_."

He sobbed, turning his face into my knee. I was, for what felt like the hundredth time that day, struggling to suppress tears.

"Oh Freddy. He knows; he has to know. And he does love you. He loves you so much. But it's hard for him. It would be like me or Rox dying, and then you naming you kid after us only to realize that it was our bloody reincarnation. It would be pretty rough, yeah?"

He sniffled, nuzzling deeper into my leg. I continued to pet his hair, letting him form a response.

"But I would still _love_ my kid. I would still be around," He whimpered.

"Well of course you would. You're _you_. The strongest, bravest bloke I know. Plus, Lana would beat your arse if she knew that you were letting her kid run around thinking his dad didn't love him," I teased.

He let out a muffled snort, and I felt a bit of relief at his laughter. I knew he was still hurting, but I was of the belief that laughter fixed everything, so this was a step in the right direction.

I continued to run my fingers through his hair, letting him cry himself to sleep. I waited for him to start to snore, then I slid out from underneath him, wrapping a blanket up under his chin and tucking him in. Then I slipped out of my room, shutting the door firmly behind me before setting off down the stairs determinedly.

I was on a mission. _No one_ hurt my Freddy. Family or not, I was out for an apology or blood.

"Hi!" I said cheerfully, slamming open the door to the kitchen and ignoring how it bounced off of the wall hard enough to send it flying back towards me. I stopped it easily with my hand, keeping my attention solely on my uncle, who looked a bit confused, like everyone else. "I'd like a word with you, please, if you don't mind. We can do it here, or outside, if you'd rather."

He looked uncomfortable, but then, he always was odd around me, seeing as I was Freddy's partner in crime. "Um, I don't think that-"

I cut him off, keeping my tone light. "Here then? That's fine. So, I'd just like to ask you a few questions, and I'd like them answered as honestly as you can, if you'd please."

That was where I cut the shite, narrowing my eyes as my tone took on an icy quality. "So, I'd like to know if you'd _happen_ to know why my best friend just spent half an hour _sobbing hysterically_ because, in his own words he 'wants his dad to _love him_ '."

I knew I probably looked rather scary. I felt rather scary. Everyone in the room had their eyes locked on me, expressions shocked. When Uncle George didn't respond, I took that as my cue to continue speaking.

"No answer? That's alright; take your time. In the meantime I've got another one for you. Why is it, that every time your son does something to try and make you proud, which is pretty much all of the time, by the way, he's Fred-bloody-Weasley after all, you can't seem to stick around? You should _see_ the look on his face _every time_ you leave the room, _see_ the way his shoulders slump, watch the joy drain out of him. He tries _so hard_ to get your attention; _everything he does_ is for you. And you can't take the time out of your day to so much as offer him a smile. The summer after our first year, when we pranked everyone, that was the happiest I've ever seen Freddy. And do you know why? It wasn't because we had just pulled off of the best prank of our life, or even because we had done so to make me happy, and succeeded. No, it was because you shouted 'I'm proud of you', and because you had picked him up and hugged him. It was because you laughed at something he had done, and had _enjoyed it._ Do you know how sad that is? You made your son's entire summer by doing something my Dad does almost daily."

Uncle George looked close to tears, and I truly felt bad about it, but he needed to understand. I was _furious_ that he had let things get so bad, to the point where Freddy had been hiccupping with the force of his tears, to the point where Fred had truly believed, even if it was only briefly, that his father didn't love him. We were a close-knit family, so that sort of thing was completely unacceptable. Hell, it would have been unacceptable in any sort of family.

"I-I didn't think…I didn't think it was so bad, for him…" Uncle George stuttered.

"You _didn't think it was so bad for him_?" I hissed.

"That's not what I meant!" Uncle George said hurriedly. "It's just that…it's _so hard_. And I know that I've been a coward about things, but I feel like I've lost half of myself. I feel I'm half Angie and half Fred, but only now I'm just half Angie…and half…I don't know…"

To my horror, he began to cry. I struggled to hold on to my anger…

"You're not half anything. You're George Fabian Weasley. You are a whole, one whole being," Aunt Angelina scolded.

"I just…I let it get out of hand. I need to apologize, and explain it to him," Uncle George said determinedly. He looked at me pleadingly, and I was glad to know that he had taken my protective fury into account, and was letting me call the shots. I knew Freddy, and what was best for him right now, and everyone knew it.

"I'll go get him. If you make him cry again you're done," I snapped, jabbing my finger at him warningly, ignoring the wary looks I received from everyone. I refused to let his tears get to me. I was angry because he had broken some part of Freddy, and I was going to remain angry until he fixed it. Even if it was a bit hard. _Ugh_. I whipped around, storming up the stairs in a frustrated whirlwind. I paused before opening my door to collect myself. I slipped inside, my anger fizzling out as I saw my best friend curled up in my bed, looking small.

I felt terrible for shaking him awake, especially when I caught a glimpse of his red eyes, runny nose, and puffy face.

"What's going on?" He asked as he sat up on the edge of my bed, his voice rough and scratchy.

"I need you to come downstairs, okay?" I asked sweetly.

"What did you do?" He whimpered, dropping his head against my collarbone. I frowned, wrapping my arms around his shoulders and rubbing his back comfortingly.

"I didn't do anything," I whinged.

"Nix," He groaned.

"Well, except for yelling a bit at your dad…" I mumbled.

I felt him sigh. "Did you fix it?" He asked hopefully.

I shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe. That's why you need to come downstairs, so we can figure that out."

He gave me a hopeful look, and I prayed to the gods that I truly had fixed it. Freddy was looking at me like I hung the moon, and I desperately wanted to prove him right. I took a step back, allowing him to stand, and he took my proffered hand before we moved towards the door.

"I'm scared, Nix," Fred admitted softly, eyes wide.

"I'm angry," I whispered back, and I knew that he took a bit of comfort in my protective rage. I watched his shoulders relax slightly, and I took that as my cue to push open the door and lead him down the stairs.

When we reached the kitchen, I was relieved to see that my siblings (and poor Scorpius, whom I hadn't thought of while in my defensive wrath) had been cleared from the room, and my parents were just visible down the hall, far enough to be out of normal hearing range, but close enough to come running if things got a bit…loud.

Aunt Ang, Uncle George and Roxy were doing a piss-poor job of hiding their shock at Fred's appearance. He was normally incredibly strong around others, hiding his pain incredibly well, but my poor best friend was shot. He set his head atop of mine; still clutching my hand tightly, and I didn't have to be looking at him to know that his messy fringe was hanging down over sad, tired eyes.

"Fred…" His mum whispered sadly.

He remained silent, playing with my fingers absently.

"Son…" Uncle George started. Fred gripped my hand tightly, and I knew he was now struggling to hide his shock at the affectionate nickname. "I'm sorry. I know it doesn't mean much, all things considered, but I still need to say it. You're just so much like him. Your smile, your laugh, your personality… He was my brother, my twin…my better half even. But you're my son. And I've been a coward. You think I don't love you…that I'm not proud of you…that I don't notice you…but you couldn't be more wrong. I notice everything you do, and I'm so proud of all of it. And I love you so incredibly much, because you're my son, and you're hard working, smart, funny, and so much like _him_ that it hurts," Uncle George said, tears welling up in his eyes as he spoke.

I didn't need to feel the moisture drip onto my head to know that Freddy was crying again. I gave his hand a hard squeeze as he struggled to speak.

"I-I thought…" He trailed off, and I felt him swallow hard before he tried again. "I forgive you, Dad. And it's nice to know that you have noticed everything. It's just that…I know that it's hard for you. And I get it. It would be hard for anyone. But I still need you to at least try and look past it. Because I'm _not him_."

I pulled his arms around me, hugging them tight, trying to convey how proud I was of him. Because Fred hardly ever talked about his issues with being seen as our generation's version of Fredrick Gideon Weasley.

"Of course you're not!" Aunt Angelina said, seeming a bit shocked by the sudden venom in his voice. "You're Fredrick _Atticus_ Weasley, and you may act like him a bit, but we know the difference."

But this was the wrong thing to say. Fred hated his middle name, with a burning passion, because it was one of the few things that people would point out as a difference between Fredrick the first and my Freddy, but it was actually another similarity. Because, like Fred G. Weasley, Freddy's middle name was that of his Mum's dead older brother, and that left him feeling cheated, though he knew why she had picked the name. He felt cheated because it was one of the things that made them different, but even then it was tied back to Fred in a way.

"Do you?" Fred snapped. "Because sometimes it's pretty hard to tell."

"Of course we do!" His mum yelled back.

"WELL MAYBE YOU SHOULD ACT LIKE IT!" Freddy roared. I resisted the urge to cover my ears.

Aunt Angie flinched, and Uncle George quickly stepped in.

"You walk with your feet pointed straight forward, and you're comfortable in the length of you limbs. Your freckles are mainly on your nose and just around it. You always let your hair hang down over you eyes. You're left handed. You have plenty of girls fawning over you, but you don't let it go to your head, and you don't mess around with them. You like reading, especially about dragons and potions. You don't like flying broomsticks, but you'd jump on the back of a dragon the first chance you got. You're not into insane colors and fabrics for clothes, but you cherish the black leather jacket Phoenix got you a few years back," He blurted out. Behind me, Fred tensed up.

"Fred was pigeon toed. He hid it well by acting like a cocky arsehole, but he was incredibly clumsy and didn't know what to do with his gangly limbs half the time. He had freckles bloody everywhere. He tried desperately to keep his hair swept off to the left, though he also tried to be cool and nonchalant about it. Fred was right handed. Fred had loads of girls fawning on him, and you could catch the cocky bastard kissing a new one every other night. Fred hated to read; he was always the spell caster and potions master, while I did most of the reading. Fred loved being on a broomstick, and absolutely loved Quidditch games because of it. Fred wore the most absurd, god-awful colors and fabrics, and he loved it."

Fred was crying again, his face pressed into the top of my head as his shoulders shook. Aunt Angelina and Roxy were crying as well, and my eyes were definitely on the watery side. Uncle George had tears streaming down his face, but he never took his gaze off of Freddy.

"You're not my brother, and I was wrong to act like you were. Just like I was wrong to give you the cold shoulder for so long. You're my son, and you're an amazing one. And I love you, very much."

I gently untangled Fred's hand from mine, giving him a gentle push towards his father. He crossed the room quickly and fell into his dad's outstretched arms. I quietly slipped out of the room as Roxanne and Aunt Angelina joined the hug.

I made my way into my room, quickly unpacking some of my stuff and placing the rest of it into my trunk for school. Freddy entered my room just as I finished.

I didn't speak as he pulled me into a tight hug.

"Thank you," He whispered. I wrapped my arms tightly around him in response.

"I love you Freddy."

He placed a brotherly kiss atop my head. "I love you too Nix."

I smiled, and I felt him do the same.

Because everything was going to be all right.

* * *

 **Ostrich feathers are Ma'at's symbol.**

 **I know that Ma'at probably wasn't what everyone expected, but hopefully she still came across as believable. As believable as a goddess in a fanfiction novel can be, that is. ; )**

 **So many tears were shed in this chapter!**

 **And some foreshadowing…**

 **This chapter contained A LOT of information. If anyone has any questions, please feel free to leave a comment, or PM me. I'm terrible about checking my PMs, but I will get back to you.**

 **There were quite a few Disney references in this chap, so to clear things up: As much as I wish otherwise, I do not own Disney, or anything associated with it. Sorry folks!**

 **Thank you as always to my readers, commenters, followers, and favoriters!**

scrumptiousinternetllama **: (who left a guest review, but I got you!) I love Lily too! She's a fun character to write because she's a bit like Phoenix, but she's also a lot like her Mum. And I'm glad you enjoyed the first half of their trip, hopefully the second half was good as well! And Helga wasn't an intentional write, just something that happened, so I'm glad she turned out well! And yes haha, Weaselette is such a Draco term! And I'm stoked you're liking Lady of The Lake! Also, thank you for your lovely review on TMIB! Not sure when the next installment will come for that one, but I definitely loved your recommendation, so you can bet I'll be putting it to good use! : )**

SPDrAnger006 **: So glad you liked the last chapter! Thank you so much for another lovely review, and thank you much for letting me know which parts of last chapter were your favorites! It's nice to know which parts you enjoyed so I know what to expand off of in the future! And you mentioned not understanding the Fred-George dynamic a few chapters ago, so here's the long awaited explanation! Hopefully it cleared things up for you!**

laxgirl1415 **: (for your review on chapter 17) I'm glad you enjoyed it! And I liked writing Dom and Vic's sort of make up, so I'm glad you liked reading it! Thank you for your review!**

 **All my love!**


	20. Without You

**Author's Note: I don't own Harry Potter, I just write fanfiction about it.**

* * *

 **Without You**

* * *

I grinned, springing high into the air to land on Freddy's back. He let out a huff, but let me use his height to see over the crowd. I turned my head about frantically until I spotted what I was looking for.

I dropped quickly to the ground, sprinting around mothers and children alike until I reached the spot I had just been staring at.

My handsome boyfriend stood talking to Don. He was gorgeously tanned, as usual, but his shaggy brown hair looked a lot different than it had when I last saw him. It was now styled in a more stiff, upright way, completely opposite his usual windswept look. It was more mature, somehow, and it suited the sixteen year old nicely. His facial features seemed much more defined, as well, and I felt a blush rise up on my cheeks as I realized (for probably the thousandth time) how attractive Jay was.

"Jay!" I shouted.

Jay grinned, turning quickly towards me and holding out his arms for me to jump into. I quickly did so, laughing as he spun me around. I was still grinning as he set me down, and I could feel his own grin as he pressed his lips to mine.

Don was silent for all of thirty seconds before he decided that he could take no more.

"Alright you two, break it up now. There will plenty of time for that later, when I don't have to watch. Plus your parents are going to be within viewing distance very soon."

We both took a step back, making Don laugh. I punched him lightly in the arm before stepping forward and giving him a hug.

"Hi Don! I've missed you!" I exclaimed.

He hugged me back tightly. "Hullo Phoe, I've missed you too!"

From behind me, I could hear Jay talking to someone, and I realized that our families had probably arrived.

Don released me, and we both shifted to face the crowd of people surrounding us.

"Alicia!" I grinned, stepping forward to hug Jay's mum.

"Hi beautiful girl! Merlin, you just get prettier every time I see you!" Alicia complimented. I blushed, and she giggled.

"Thank you! You look nice as well!" I smiled.

"Hello Phoenix," A voice suddenly cut in.

"Hi Mr. Wood!" I said cheerily.

Immediately, Oliver groaned. "Oh come on Phoe, how many times-"

Suddenly, Oliver was cut off by something we had all hoped to avoid. A camera flashed next to my face, and half a dozen questions were suddenly shouted at us.

"Oliver, is it true that you hate Phoenix for being a better Quidditch player than you?"

"Ginny, Ginny! Can you and Jay pose for a quick picture?"

"Mr. Potter! What are your thoughts on the recent attack on Diagon Alley?"

"Fredrick could you and Phoenix answer a few questions for me really quickly?"

"Phoenix! Is it true that Dom left because she's pregnant?"

"Ginny, Harry! Are you really ready to let your children go back to school after all of the attacks recently?"

"George, is it true that you're having an affair?"

Oliver grabbed my upper arm, gently leading me through the crowd of people surrounding us. From just behind me, I heard Don sigh slightly as he grabbed Jay's fallen luggage before dogging my footsteps carefully. I kept my head down as we moved through the sea of reporters, thoroughly embarrassed.

There had been a sudden surge of journalists lately, for the Wizarding World had suddenly become really big on "tabloids", and our family dominated the gossip-filled pages nearly weekly. Most of the things they printed were rumors, for we kept our family business as private as we could, but there were certain things that we couldn't keep quiet (Dom's leaving, for example) and those things were immediately blown up and twisted about until they had the most scandalous story possible. It was really annoying.

I ducked closer to Oliver as a reporter suddenly lunged out of the crowd to stick her quill in my face. "Phoenix! Is it true that James has a tattoo on his bum?"

If I hadn't been so shocked at her desperate attempt to get closer to me, I would have been very tempted to reply that yes, James did have a tattoo on his bum, one of a Pygmy Puff, in fact.

But unfortunately (or maybe fortunately for James) I was shocked, and I missed the opportunity for the world's best prank. Oliver yanked me closer to him, away from the slightly crazed woman still waving a quill at me, and kept us moving.

We inched our way through the crowd until we reached the train. I was relieved to see Uncle Ron and Aunt Penelope exit the mob of people just a few feet away, Lucy and Hugo held tightly between them and the rest of the Clan trailing behind them.

The parents formed a line as best they could, backs to the horde of journalists, and we moved between them and the train as quickly as possible.

I found myself facing Uncle Ron, who pulled me into a tight hug before letting me move on down the line.

"Be good!" Aunt Angelina warned.

"Blow something up for me!" Uncle George whispered.

Uncle Bill kissed me atop the head.

"Let me know if you'd like any help studying this year!" Uncle Percy advised.

"Don't get into too much trouble. Write when you can, and look after your siblings," Mum ordered.

Aunt Fleur kissed me on each cheek.

"Win the cup!" Oliver chuckled.

"And look after our boy please," Alicia added.

Dad gave me a bear hug, kissing my hair before letting me go.

"Don't forget to study dear," Aunt Hermione fretted.

"Make sure you take care of yourself; don't get too caught up in everything you've got going on," Aunt Penelope offered me the best advice of all. I grinned at her, waving at everyone one last time before Freddy took my hand and led me onto the train.

Per tradition, we all piled up into one compartment, leaning out of the window to wave goodbye to the parents. I laughed hysterically as Teddy and Vic came sprinting through the crowd at the last moment, hand-in-hand and looking completely knackered. Ted rushed forward; leaning up to kiss Lils on the cheek while Vic hugged Louis as best she could. I willed Teddy to hurry up as he hugged James and Al, ruffling their hair and offering them some last minute advice. Down the line I could see steam starting to blow over the top of the train, and I knew we would be moving soon. Vic smiled lightly at my restlessness as she gave me a quick kiss on each cheek, and I was quick to return the gesture. I squeezed her hand when she held it up to me; glad we had gotten closer over the summer.

Finally Teddy ran up before me, reaching up to give me a tight hug. I could feel Fred and Jay grip my waist as I practically fell out of the window to return Ted's gesture. As he pulled back I couldn't help but smirk at his messy appearance. He had a beanie shoved over a tangled mess of hair, which the Metamorphmagus hadn't even taken the time to clean up, and the old sweats he wore looked more like pajama pants than street clothes.

"Up late, Ted?" I cackled, waggling my eyebrows at him.

His entire body went red, from his hair to his fingernails, and I felt my smirk deepen as I gave a little wink. Behind me I could hear Freddy and Jay laughing hysterically.

"I-you…you're my little sister! You can't…no! Okay, no, listen, I'm supposed to be giving you advice dammit!" He looked flustered as the train slowly began to move. "Look, I love you. Don't get into too much trouble, don't blow up anything important, don't study too much, don't talk to boys, don't kiss boys, don't even look at boys-"

"Oi!" Jay yelled indignantly.

"Don't kill anyone, don't get too stressed over Quidditch, don't forget to look after the little ones, don't forget to write home, don't let Fred get you expelled-"

"Come on mate!" Fred shouted.

"Don't forget to take care of yourself, don't forget to stop and learn something, don't skip out on eating or sleeping, don't make that poor cat of yours run herself ragged trying to look after you-"

By now the train was well and truly moving, and Ted was having to jog to keep up.

"But most of all, don't forget to enjoy yourself!"

"Love you!" I yelled.

"Love you too!" He screamed back, nearly knocking some poor woman over as he waved his arms through the air at us.

I laughed at my goofball brother, leaning out the window with the other kids to wave. We continued to wave until the platform was out of sight, then we all moved to take a seat (on a bench or in someone's lap).

We sat like that for a while, all squished together in every possible bit of space. Freddy and Nikki were cracking jokes, Lily was showing Alice her journal, Scorp was sat on the floor whispering with Rosie while Al, Ava, and Louis looked on, Hugo was taking to the Scamander twins while his boyfriend played with his fingers, and Don and Ben were sitting together in a corner (and everyone was trying to avoid looking too closely at whatever they were doing). On the other side of the compartment, I was sat in Jay's lap and Coleen was leaned back against my legs on the floor. James was sat next to her, and the two seemed to be having a pretty engaging conversation. Next to Jay and I sat Arnold, who was talking cheerfully with Molly, Lana, Lucy, and Roxy. From what I had heard, Molly and Philip (her Slytherin boyfriend) had broken up over the summer, but she didn't seem too upset about it.

Everywhere you looked it was a mess of limbs and random animals. Circe was loyally laying across my lap, but Apep (whom had nearly given Mum a heart attack upon Lily's and my homecoming) was curled up with Lysander. Lily had cried when Minnie had given the OK for Apep to be brought to the castle, though I had been assuring her for weeks that she would. Ava's kitten was asleep in Al's lap and Rosie's cat was lying across Hugo's boyfriend Mike, who seemed to enjoy its attention almost as much as he was enjoying Hugo's.

As we rode along, I found myself spaced out a bit, content to just look at the people I cared about or gaze out the window. Maybe it sounded a bit cheesy, but with everything that had been going on recently, I wasn't willing to take peaceful moments for granted.

Eventually, I realized that I wasn't the only one who seemed distracted, though, while I was distracted by everyone, Miss Lana Phyllis's gaze seemed to be catching on one person in particular…

I stopped twirling my wand abruptly as I made up my mind. I stood up carefully, trying to avoid stepping on anyone as best I could.

"I'm going to the restroom," I whispered to Jay. He nodded, and I began to wiggle my way out of the compartment.

Once I made it to the doorway I turned and leaned forward so that my mouth was next to Lana's ear.

"I'm going to the bathroom, come with?" I asked softly. She nodded, detangling herself from Lucy and Roxy before joining me out in the hallway.

As we slid the door shut, I heard Freddy say, "Why can't girls ever go to the toilet alone?"

To which he immediately received a chorus of the Clan's standard response of, "Aunt Hermione went alone, and she got attacked by a troll!"

Lana and I giggled as we began to walk down the corridor. We hooked arms casually as we went, and I found myself grateful (not for the first time) that Lana was the sort of friend that you could go weeks without talking to and never have to worry about falling out with. She was very easy-going, which always worked well with my chaotic life.

We chatted about our summers, and I was content to let Lana go into some very detailed stories of hers and Lucy's adventures. She continued to talk even once we had gone into our separate stalls in the lavatory, much to my amusement. It wasn't until we were stood in front of the mirror, washing our hands, that I decided to speak up again.

I waited until she finished her story, then asked, "So Lana, how long have you liked my cousin?"

She paused, then responded carefully, "Who, Lucy?"

"No, Fred."

She froze completely, then spun around to face me head on. "What-I don't, I mean, I don't know what you're talking about!"

I quickly held my hands up in front of her, ignoring the water dripping down onto my shoes, and spoke reassuringly. "Lana, I'm not going to tell anyone. You don't have to worry. I just noticed that you watch him a lot, and you never seem to mind his total ignorance for the term 'personal space'. You laugh at all of his jokes and you always seem to find a way to be a part of his conversations. So I just figured. But you don't have to worry. I won't tell anyone."

I made sure to be a bit repetitive, in hopes of calming her down a bit. It appeared to work, and the tension slowly left her shoulders.

"I've liked him for a while. I've never said anything because I didn't know that Lucy would approve. Plus, I don't think Fred could ever like someone like me," She admitted.

"Lana!" I admonished, "Why on earth would you think that?"

She looked a bit surprised. "Why wouldn't I? He's constantly surrounded by funny, intelligent, and gorgeous girls. I'm absolutely plain in comparison; why would he settle for someone like me?"

I frowned. "You keep using that phrase 'someone like me'. But I don't think you understand that 'someone like you' means a smart, funny, kind, blasé, and beautiful human being."

She gaped at me a bit, tears springing into her eyes. "You mean that?"

"Of course I do Lana. You're amazing, and honestly, I think you're exactly Fred's type," I offered her a wink, and was pleased to see her tears disappear, replaced by a suspicious, but slightly hopeful, look.

"What do you know?" She gasped.

I smirked at her. "I know many things. I know that the red panda is related to the giant panda and the raccoon. I know how to fly a magic carpet. I know that Al is allergic to pineapples. I know how to say I love you in Spanish. I know that crocodiles can't stick out their tongues. I know that some of the melted wax in candles is drawn into the wick, where it then evaporates. I know that the average circumference of a baby's head is 35 centimeters. I know that Jupiter has the fastest rotation in our solar system. I know-"

"Okay, okay!" Lana laughed. "Have your secrets."

I grinned at her, moving towards the door. She stepped in front of me.

I waited for her to speak, raising an eyebrow at her as I did so. She seemed to be gathering her thoughts.

"Lana…"

She shook her head. "Sorry. I just wanted to say, thank you."

The smile returned to my face. "Of course."

We hooked arms, moving back towards the compartment in silence.

* * *

We soon fell back into the rhythm of Hogwarts. Some things were different, of course, with Dom being gone, OWLs looming on the horizon, the attack over the summer, and, most of all, Lily knowing my secret. But some things were the same, as well. I still woke every morning in the same four-poster bed I always had, Lana's snoring filling the room, still went down for breakfast with Fred and Jay, still secretly enjoyed my classes, still played Quidditch "obsessively" (Roxy's words, not mine).

I wrote to Dom on a weekly basis. She was enjoying her travels, sending me tiny trinkets here and there as she went. A dragon tooth from her time with Uncle Charlie, an "eye of Horus" charm from Egypt, a little crystal from an enchanted island called Krystallia. Each of them were enchanted to become a charm, and I put each of them on my necklace. I now had so many things on my chain that I had to use little glass beads to separate them, and I had a sneaking suspicion that the beads and the original charm (from Jay) were the only things on my necklace without magical properties.

Louis was having a rough time. He wasn't used to being completely without his sisters, and he hadn't ever really been able to reconnect with Dom after the whole Teddy/Dom/Victoire fiasco (not that he knew anything about that, he just knew that his sister had suddenly started sleeping around).

We were all trying to help him, but it was hard when we had our own lives to live. Still, I couldn't help but let Lou's struggles commandeer my contemplations when I had the time.

"Breakfast?" Fred asked, breaking my train of thought. My gaze snapped up to meet his, and I grinned at the promise of mischief in his wicked smirk.

"Why certainly," I agreed, looping my arm through his. We quickly exited the Common Room, ignoring the wary and suspicious looks we were getting.

I smiled serenely as we drifted down the corridors. Rain pounded against the windows, darkening the school. The halls were lit by torches, and everything inside was peaceful and quiet. I longed to grab a book and a cup of tea and spend the day in the window seat on the sixth floor.

"So I talked to Lana," Fred said casually. My head snapped up to look at him.

"And…?" I prompted when he didn't continue.

A huge grin spread across his face. "She says she likes me. We're going to ask Lucy about it, but we're probably going to Hogsmeade together."

I let out a whoop, throwing my arms around his shoulders. He chuckled as he caught me, spinning me around as I cheered.

"That's awesome!" I yelled once he had set me down. "I'm so happy for you!"

His happy smile slowly twisted into my favorite look of mischief. "Well, now that you know, I think we ought to plan a celebration, don't you?"

I smirked. "I think so."

* * *

I grinned as I shifted through a stack of first year's papers later that evening. Across from me, McGonagall sighed.

"You know, you're not supposed to enjoy detention," She groaned.

I winked at her. "But Minnie, how can I not? This first year is under the impression that all magical carpets and broomsticks are actually birds that were transfigured by Merlin himself. She says that all new broomsticks are the old ones, just re-transfigured. It's quite a fascinating theory, really."

She let out a noise of mild horror, letting her head drop onto the desk in front of her with a thud. I chuckled lightly, setting aside the last paper and reaching for part of her stack.

"You know, you should consider an assistant," I told her.

She lifted her head slightly, offering me a half-hearted glare. "I probably wouldn't have so much to do if you and your cousin could refrain from blowing up half of my school."

I rolled my eyes, blowing a piece of my hair away from my face as I squinted at what appeared to be a cross of hieroglyphics and mandarin. "Please, you'd have twice as much to do then. If we didn't do it, someone else would, and I doubt they would do it with half as much class as us. That or you'd have half a dozen groups of want-to-be pranksters running around. And you would not be able to assign them detentions that were actually useful."

She made another horrified noise, putting her forehead back against her desktop.

I gave up on the paper I had been staring at, marking it with a giant 'T' before moving on to the next. "You know, if you aren't going to help me grade, you're more than welcome to do my homework. Merlin knows I have enough of it to go around," I sassed.

She chuckled a bit, offering me a thin smile.

I smiled back, secretly pleased to have made my favorite teacher laugh. I knew she was very different from what most students thought (many long evenings in the Hospital Wing in the company of her, Luna, and half a library's worth of books had taught me that), and I had come to enjoy trying to figure out the Headmistress's dry sense of humor.

She let me go after another hour, sending me off before it got dark. I met up with my better half (Fred, not Jay) on the second floor, and we walked back to the Common Room in a comfortable silence.

Things with Freddy were easy. Though we put on a rather loud, obnoxious show for others, on our own, neither one of us really felt the need to always fill the quiet. On the flip side, we both knew that we could talk for hours and the other would listen without complaint. We thought along the same wavelength almost constantly, and I knew I could always count on him for support. Our lack of conflict lent a comforting peacefulness to my otherwise chaotic life.

Fred finally spoke as we neared the entrance hole. "Are you doing anything with Jay tonight?"

I shook my head. "No, he's in the library tonight with Don, Arnold, and Nikki. They have a project for Slughorn's that they need to work on this week, and we have afternoon practice tomorrow and Friday."

Fred smiled a bit. I beamed at a few first years as we passed through the Common Room, ignoring their curious stares as I followed Freddy up to the boy's dormitories.

"So, I've got five of these and two of those, and I've also got this poster and that one, if you want them," Fred said, shifting things around on his bed as he spoke.

I grinned, taking the proffered Hungarian Horntail and 1974 Ducati 750 SPORT motorcycle posters before reaching for a magazine. Fred shifted over towards the edge of his bed, letting me climb in behind him. I opened up the magazine, letting my back rest up against his chest as we looked at the dragons on the page.

"Look at the wingspan on this one," Fred gasped, running his fingers along the image.

"Look at the teeth!" I retorted.

We continued to ooh and ah over dragons and motorcycles for the rest of the evening. Outside, rain continued to pour down from the sky. Inside, the room was silent save our occasional exclamations and the sound of the torrent against the windowpane.

* * *

"Add the eye of newt in now," I instructed calmly a few days later.

Roxy nodded, slowly pouring it in. She was careful not to loose any, after spending the last five minutes meticulously shredding it.

Across from us, Lana and Lucy seemed to be struggling a bit. Their potion was an odd pomegranate color, and it seemed really watery. I glanced around the classroom, located Slughorn in the back corner of the room, then leaned across the table to whisper to Luce.

"Add some Boomslang skin and stir it counterclockwise for a minute," I told her, being sure that Slughorn didn't see me. He had assigned us the hardest potion we'd done to date at the beginning of the class period, and he was having us create it in a "mock OWL" environment. He had even excused us from all of our classes for the rest of the day, and had cancelled the rest of his own so that we would have plenty of time to work. Of course, he also let us have partners and he didn't bother to separate the tables, so it wound up very unrealistic.

I turned to my own potion, which was the correct shade of shimmery peach, and added in a few fluxweed leaves. Roxy hovered with the ladle as I carefully stirred the potion counterclockwise twice, then clockwise once. As soon as I finished the potion turned a pale blue, and Roxy scooped out a ladleful and poured it into the flask I held waiting as quickly as possible. I plugged the flask as soon as she filled it, and we hastily grabbed another one. We managed to completely empty the rest potion into the largest flask we had just moments before it expired. If we had taken any longer to seal it off, the potion would have gone gray and would no longer have been usable.

"Professor Slughorn," Roxy called. The old professor looked up to see who was summoning him before hurrying across the classroom towards us.

"We've finished. This what we're turning in, but we bottled up the rest of it in case you wanted it," I explained. Roxy and I had started automatically boxing up the rest of our potions after Slughorn had requested it continuously during our first years in his class. He claimed that he had always asked it of his best students, for the potions could be given to the Hospital Wing or sold off. He had Fred and James do the same, though Jay said he didn't ask it of anyone in his year.

Slughorn beamed. "Well I'm very pleased that you did; this potion looks perfect! You even got the texture right, which is extremely difficult to do. And hats off to you ladies for getting all of it into the flask without ruining it or letting it spoil! This is very good, very good. A certain 'O' for you two today!" He exclaimed with a little wink. "Oh, and I'll be hosting a dinner tomorrow evening, in my office of course, and I do hope you two will be able to attend. Phoenix, your boyfriend is more than welcome to join as well, of course," He winked again, then cheerily carried our flasks to the front of the class.

Across the table, Lucy was giving Roxy and I a harsh glare. Despite my help, her potion was still more scarlet than peach, and still looked a little on the thick side. Rox and I exchanged meek glances before hurriedly cleaning up our station and asking Slughorn if we could leave.

"I hate when she does that," Rox complained, untying her hair as we walked down the corridor. Her thick curls sprung down around her face, and I paused for a moment to admire them before responding.

"Me too. It's not like we don't try to help her and Lana. We're always telling them how to make it better. She just doesn't follow the instructions exactly," I agreed.

Roxy nodded, seeming pleased that I had agreed with her. When Lucy had first started I had refused to say anything about it, but her glares had become much more frequent this year, and it was starting to grate on my nerves. Especially considering that she typically did the exact opposite of anything I told her to do when I tried to help.

Roxy looped her arm through mine, seeming much more cheerful all of a sudden. "Well, my little Mandrake, you and I have finished our perfect potion, and I think, to celebrate, we should go down to the lake and do our homework there!"

I laughed, "Sounds like a plan!"

We changed course, ignoring the curious looks we received from an older student who was passing by. I grinned as we stepped out into the sunshine before taking off with a whoop. I could hear Roxy laughing as she quickly followed suit.

* * *

"Hi lovely," A voice spoke into my ear. I looked up, unable to stop a grin from spreading across my face.

"Hello handsome," I responded, sliding over in my armchair to let Jay sit down. "How was your day?"

"Pretty good. Aced a pretty tricky potion in Slughorn's, finally transfigured that bloody cat in Transfiguration, and I'm feeling pretty sure of our Quidditch team as well. Really, there's only one thing that's really bothering me about today…" He trailed off, looking thoughtful.

I leaned forward, concerned. "What is it?"

Jay stroked his chin. "Well you see, I have this gorgeous girlfriend, and I thought that I was going to get to make out a bit with her after we had Quidditch practice today. You know how it is, fresh off the broom, still kind of sweaty and gross, pretty hot yeah? But the thing is, she went and got straight into the shower afterwards! And I would have followed her in there but…" Jay trailed off, giving me a mischievous smirk.

I gaped at him before giving his arm a light slap.

He dissolved into hysterical laughter. "I'm teasing babe, I'm totally teasing."

I pretended to pout at him, folding my arms and turning my face away from him.

"Aw come on love!" Jay whinged. I glanced over my shoulder at him, pouting, before turning my head away again. Jay gently took me by the chin, tipping his head under mine as best he could. "No, no. I was just messing with you. Phoeeeee!"

I tried to ignore him, but finally I caved, turning to look at him. Immediately his huge puppy eyes and pouty lips had me giggling.

"Yay!" He sang, wrapping his arms around my waist. "I'm forgiven!"

I pressed my face against his shoulders, trying to muffle my giggles. I knew we were being one of _those_ couples, the sappy, obnoxious ones, but I just couldn't bring myself to care.

"Oh!" Jay exclaimed suddenly, making people look up at him from across the room. Luckily, we were both rather well liked, and our display was earning more smiles and laughs than glares.

"What is it?" I asked.

"It's late! Late, late, late!" Jay gasped.

I glanced at the clock, which read 8:03, then back to Jay.

"Don't look at me like that young lady! It's past your bedtime Miss Potter!" Jay grinned at me.

"Jay wha-" I cut myself off with a squeal as Jay scooped me up into his arms.

"Bedtime!" Jay sang, dancing over to the girls' staircase.

"Jay, you can't go up," I reminded him.

Jay stopped, pouting slightly, then seemed to come up with a new plan. "Oh well! You can just come up with me then!"

I gaped at him. " _Jay_! _What_ has gotten _into_ you?"

Jay smirked, making a comment about what would be getting into me later, which earned him a sharp smack on the chest, before leaning down to whisper into my ear.

"I'm just happy. I…being around you makes me happy, I guess. You're so perfect. Gods you're _so_ perfect…"

I stared at him, wide-eyed and at a loss for words.

"Just come spend some time with me," Jay said.

"Okay," I agreed.

"Maybe we can see about that after practice make out later, too," Jay grinned at me again.

I could only laugh in response as he turned, darting past all of our staring classmates and carrying me up the stairs towards his dorm.

* * *

"Louis."

Lou turned the page in his book.

"Louis."

He sighed, blowing a piece of hair away from his face.

"Lou!"

Louis shut his book with a snap. "What Phoenix?"

I rolled my eyes. "Come on!"

I could hear the fourth year complaining as I grabbed him by his wrist, dragging him down the halls. He was quite a bit taller than me, but I successfully pulled him along until we stood on the steps in front of the school.

Lou gaped.

"See?" I laughed.

"It's…it's snowing!" He shouted in shock. "But it's _October_!"

I grinned gleefully. I knew Louis adored the snow.

He smiled shyly at me. "Thanks for dragging me out here Phoenix."

I beamed at my little cousin, "Of course."

He started to move away from me, out onto the grounds and into the slowly falling flakes.

"Oh, and Lou?" I called.

He turned back. "Yeah?"

"It's good to see you smiling. If you ever need anyone to talk to, remember that Ted is my brother and he's gone too."

His eyes widened a bit. "Okay. Thank you Phoe."

* * *

"Albus, have you written that letter yet?" I asked my little brother early the next morning. He was sitting quietly in the Great Hall, looking out the windows at the thick gray clouds pouring snow down on the grounds.

He glanced up. "Yeah, I sent it last week. Though I don't understand why I have to write a letter to someone that I don't even know."

I opened my mouth to respond, then stopped with a grin as a huge bird swooped in through the window.

I was aware that everyone was looking on with shock, but my eyes were trained on Al's reaction as the bird landed before us.

"Is…is that a p-phoenix?" Albus stuttered, completely in awe. Ava Carter was leaned over from his other side, and she seemed completely star-struck.

"Yep. Hi Faddei," I crooned, giving the gorgeous bird a gentle pet. Faddei nuzzled my hand gently before holding his leg out to Al.

"F-for me?" He stuttered. Ava carefully helped him untie the letter. I watched as he looked at the back, reading ' _To Albus, from Helga_ '. "Wait…the lady you had me write a letter to, Helga…this is her familiar?"

I grinned. "Yeah, this is Faddei. Fad, say hi."

Faddei thrilled lightly, and I wished Coleen were there to take a picture of the looks on Al and Ava's faces.

"Can I pet him?" Albus asked.

"Of course," I nodded.

He gently reached out, running his fingers down the phoenix's feathers. The bird leaned into his touch.

"Ava, do you want to pet him?" I asked. The redhead nodded, reaching forward and mimicking Al's actions.

"So…this Helga…" Al prompted.

I giggled. "Here's a spell that will translate her letter. It should be in Russian as of right now, but this will make it English for at least a little while. If it wears off, you can just recast it again. I'm going to take Fad up to my room, but when you're done responding you can just call him and he'll flame over to you."

Al nodded as he darted up out of his seat, grabbing the spell from my fingertips with one hand and grabbing Ava's hand in the other. I grinned as they took off, undoubtedly towards the library, and hoped that Helga had put the camera Lily and I had sent her last month to good use.

* * *

"I'm just glad that she sent Faddei. Him bringing the letter definitely made the whole thing 100 times cooler," Lily laughed.

"He's so gorgeous. I really can't believe that you two are familiar with a phoenix!" Alice said.

I smiled at her from over the top of my book. She and Lily were practicing their Charms work while I did my Potions homework. Outside the office, Luna was cleaning out the cupboards while humming a tune that sounded like something Grandmum played at Christmas time.

"Lils flick your wand a little bit to the left when you do that spell, it helps concentrate the spell into one area," I told her.

We were supposed to be working in the Hospital Wing, but it was such a quiet evening that Luna decided to just stick us in her office and have us do homework. I was writing an essay for Slughorn and helping Lily and Alice with a few spells they had had trouble with in Charms.

"Phoenix?" Lily asked suddenly.

"Hmm?"

"Have you told Jay that you loved him yet?"

I choked, sucking in the end of my quill and gagging on the feather. "I-I…what?" I gasped.

Alice tutted, standing up to offer me a glass of water as she spoke, "I suppose that's a no then?"

I stared at them, tears streaming down my face as I gulped down the drink.

"Well you should. It's so obvious Phoenix; everyone can see it. You're in love with him and he's in love with you. Tell him," Lily advised.

"She's right you know," Luna said suddenly, appearing in the doorway. "We all had bets on how long it would take you two to get together."

"All of the parents?" Alice asked.

"No," Luna laughed. "All of the teachers!"

I gawked, wide-eyed, as the other three cackled.

* * *

I paced across my room, grateful that it was empty, for once.

"I'm just going to do it. I'll just say it," I declared.

I turned on my heel, glaring at the huge stuffed bear on Lana's bed.

"What are you lookin' at?" I snapped.

I whipped around and paced in the other direction.

"Just going to say it. Maybe I'll yell it. No, that's a bad idea. That's a very bad idea. Oh Merlin this whole thing is a bad idea…" I moaned.

I turned around again, eyeing the bear and wondering how it would look with sunglasses.

"Why am I freaking out so much over this?" I yelled. "Gods, it's not like I don't know what he'll say!"

I turned around again, flicking a spell over my shoulder at the stuffed animal before continuing to twirl my wand thoughtlessly.

"But what if I don't! What if he doesn't say anything?"

I marched the other direction, glaring again at the bear, though at least now it couldn't glare back. I shot another spell at it before flipping back around the other way.

"Maybe I should just wait for him to say it. But what if he thinks he's waiting for me?" I wailed. I pulled at my hair, then yelped as I ripped it from its tight braids.

"This shouldn't be such a big deal!" I yelled at Lana's teddy. The bear did not respond. "People say it all the time. These days, it hardly has any meaning at all! It's just something that people say to each other, without hardly knowing one another! I'm making too big a deal out of this."

I nodded decisively. The bear's face was hidden by its sunglasses, but I felt that it was agreeing with me.

Suddenly the door swung open with a bang.

"I know! So then he told me that-oh!" Lana stopped with a gasp. "Phoenix, what _have_ you done to my bear?"

Roxy giggled. "Oh come on Lana, it's kind of cute."

Lana tipped her head to the side before laughing. "Oh it's cute alright. But why've you done it? And what's up with your hair? And was that a Silencing charm we broke when we came in?"

I opened my mouth to respond, but Lucy beat me to it. "You know, you really shouldn't mess with other people's stuff."

We all frowned at her. "I honestly wasn't really thinking about it. I can undo it if you'd like though, Lana."

Lana was still frowning, but she offered me the ghost of a smile as she spoke. "No. It's fine. I actually like it."

We both turned to stare at the rainbow colored, sunglass wearing stuffed bear.

"Anyways…I'm going…to get going," I mumbled, awkwardly.

"Wait, you haven't told us what you were doing up here!" Roxy protested.

"I-I was just…thinking…"

They all stared at me.

"Okayyy…" Roxy mumbled.

"Uh. Yeah. So bye," I stuttered, before spinning around and darting out of the room.

I rushed down the stairs, flying into the Common Room at full speed.

"Ow!" Someone yelled as I crashed into them. Their arms came up to grip my shoulders as we flew to the right.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" I gasped, clutching at their shirt. I began to giggle as I recognized the hands gripping at me.

"Hi Jaybird," I said sweetly, tilting my head up with a huge smile.

He gave me the evil eye. "That bloody well hurt. Crazy thing, what on earth were you running from?"

I widened my eyes at him. "Oh, I was running from something absolutely terrifying!" I looked around the room quickly before leaning up to whisper into his ear. "I was running from… _Roxy_!"

He stared at me with mock fear. "That is scary! Quick! Let's get out of here before she comes after you!"

I giggled again as he grabbed my hand, pulling me from the Common Room. We sprinted down the corridors, and I grinned widely at the rain pounding at the windows as we passed them.

"Well-" Jay shouted over his shoulder at me, slightly out of breath. "Lou will be disappointed, but I, for one, am glad it's raining!"

"Why?" I yelled back.

"Because rain makes you oh-so-happy!" Jay said in a goofy voice.

I choked on my laughter, struggling to breathe as we kept on running. I didn't question where we were going, and could hardly bring myself to be surprised when Jay threw open the doors to the school and pulled me outside.

We tore down the grounds, and it briefly registered that I could see our breath in the crisp air. My teeth were chattering as water soaked into my hair and my clothes.

"Jay!" I yelled as he ran past the last tree on our side of the lake. The only thing that stood between us and the water was an empty lawn.

"Do you trust me?" He grinned over his shoulder at me.

"Jay! This isn't some movie! This is a stupid, bad idea!" I screamed. Jay stopped suddenly, turning to hold me by the waist and tip his forehead against mine.

"Come on," He whispered. "I feel like I've hardly seen you in so long. Let's be crazy, stupid, love-struck teenagers."

I gaped at him as he took a step back. "L-lov-"

"Come on Phoenix," He breathed. Then he turned back around. I moved with him, and soon we were running again.

I could feel my breathing growing quicker as we neared the shore. "Jay…"

"Don't think, jump!" He yelled.

I sucked in a breath as we flew over the side of the shore. I would never, ever admit it, but I was not a fan of large bodies of water. I liked looking at them, and I absolutely adored being at the beach, but I couldn't stand being _in_ the water. I loathed feeling weighed down and I absolutely despised the total stillness of being underwater. I loved the air, the wind, and the feeling of flying, being light and free. Being in the water was the exact opposite, and being plunged underwater was an absolute nightmare.

I clung to Jay's hand, trying not to panic. I kicked out, desperately fighting to reach the surface. Jay gently tugged me along, and I couldn't help but gasp as we passed above the surface of the lake.

He was staring at me with a bit of concern. "You alright babe?"

I shook my head lightly, shivering violently. "C-cold. Hate t-the water."

His expression became one of pity and a bit of guilt. "I didn't know you didn't like the water. Come here, I'll do a Warming spell."

I kicked my way towards him, and he pulled me into his arms before casting a Warming spell over us. I sighed lightly as feeling slowly crept back into my fingers and toes.

"Since when did you not like the water?" Jay asked me.

"Since forever, I guess. When we were little I used to always avoid getting in, or I'd sit on the very edge to prevent having to get more than my legs wet," I explained. I moved to start swimming towards the shore, but Jay held me back.

He frowned. "I feel like I should have known about this."

I shook my head at him. "No. I don't like to tell people. Hardly anyone knows, just my parents, Teddy, Lily, and Dom."

"What about Fred?"

"Oh. Yeah, him too."

Jay looked thoughtful, but I was starting to grow desperate to get back on dry(ish) land.

"Jay, can we go back now?" I asked nervously.

He shook himself. "Oh, yeah of course."

We swam back, hauling ourselves up the banks of the lake and moving further down until we stood beneath some trees.

Jay quickly set about transfiguring a tiny hut, while I created a handful of bluebell flames. We huddled together underneath the shelter, drying off a bit while we told our best horror stories.

"…And the note reads: 'humans can lick too'."

"That's bloody creepy as hell!" Jay yelled.

I laughed. "Well what do you want to talk about then?"

Jay suddenly looked nervous. "Well. I would like to address something that I've been thinking about for a while now…"

I stared at him. "You would 'like to address'?"

He blushed. "Sorry. I'm nervous. Look, Phoenix. We've been dating for awhile now…and I think it's time that I tell you how I feel about you."

I chuckled uneasily. "Well that might be helpful."

He didn't even attempt to smile back. I tried to calm down, I knew he wasn't about to break up with me or something crazy like that, but I was still anxious.

He sighed, taking a deep breath and looking me in the eyes. "Phoenix, I love you."

Oh. Well he never was one to beat around the bush.

I felt a grin slowly spread across my face.

"I love you too," I whispered back.

The look on his face, wet with rain and lit only by the blue-gray glow of my fistful of flames, was beautiful.

* * *

I knew I shouldn't be going out late at night.

If anyoneever found out, I was likely to be grounded for the rest of my life.

But I was a rule-breaker at heart, and I missed the peace that wandering silently through empty, moonlit halls brought.

So late one evening, long after everyone had retired to bed, I rolled quietly out of bed and darted down the girls' staircase. I paused briefly in the Common Room to yank the Invisibility Cloak over my head, then I tip-toed out of the Entrance Portrait.

I strolled down the corridor at a leisurely pace, enjoying the occasional glimpse of Hogwarts' moonlit grounds. I was careful to check the map frequently, but everything within the school was very still.

I gently stroked an owl's nose as I entered the Owlery, grateful that the moon was bright enough to write by. I knew that the nocturnal creatures around me wouldn't appreciate me lighting a candle.

I sat down cross-legged at a window, looking out over the grounds. I frowned at the full moon, knowing that poor Teddy would be sick in bed with a headache tonight.

I carefully laid out a piece of parchment, pulling out my favorite ostrich feather quill and unscrewing a bottle of ink. Then I pulled out Dom's latest letter, using it as a reference for my own.

 _Annie,_

 _Currently in America! It's a bit insane over here; the locals are so similar to us, but they're so different at the same time! Did you know that they call crisps "chips", and they call chips "french fries"? Crazy! I hope you like the charm I sent; this one may be my favorite yet! It's a tiny "star"! It's not hot or anything, but it glows and moves like a tiny ball of flames._

 _Sorry again for not writing these past few weeks! Like I said, I wasn't able to get ahold of an owl until I found an office._

 _So…I met a nice bloke at a local pub a few weeks ago. His name's Mick. He's got these beautiful blue eyes, and this lovely brown hair that sticks up in what he calls a "quiff". Apparently it's something that's popular in England, ironic huh? I've seen it before, but never heard the name._

 _Anyways, back on topic. Mick's such a sweet guy! He always wants to hear about my travels, and he's always ready to tell me about his! He's a healer, specializes in rare infections. He's been travelling for these last few years in order to help a wider range of people, and his stories are incredible. He's a real hero, Ann. And the crazy thing is, we met in a muggle pub, but he's a wizard too! He wasn't planning on telling me (after all, we've only just met), but the twit had forgotten he had hexed his dishes to wash themselves!_

 _He's really very smart. I promise._

 _We're just friends, but I really think I like him Annie. He's a real gentleman, always opening doors for me, insisting I let him pay for meals, and letting me stay in his spare room because "he couldn't possibly let a lady like me stay in a hotel on her own". Even though that's what I've been doing for the past few months._

 _And for the record, despite me staying at his house, nothing's happened between us. I'm absolutely fine with it; if anything does happen, I want it to be a real relationship. Not to say that we couldn't have a real one even if anything did happen, but my track record with that hasn't been the greatest. Plus, I don't want him to get the wrong idea about me. I've changed, and I'm happy with myself now._

 _I'm not sure how long I'll be staying in America. I'm in New York right now, but there are so many different places to visit in this country! But I think I've got my next country in mind…Mick's originally from Ireland (his accent is to die for!) and he'd like me to go with him when I'm done here._

 _Seems fast, I know, but we've really connected well. It's very nice, because I've been on my own since you left Egypt, and suddenly I have someone I get to talk to every day, and company whenever I want it. And it's even better knowing that someone is looking out for me. I can take care of myself, but it's nice not to have to._

 _I wish you could meet him! I hope you like the picture I sent. I've told him all about you, and he says he'd like to meet you as well._

 _So, how are things over there? I hope you're not studying too hard. I know OWLs can seem daunting, but you're incredibly smart, and I know you'll do well. Plus, you've already taken one, so you'll get to study extra for the ones you have left. And I'm sure your trip to Egypt this summer taught you more than you think._

 _How's Jay? He'd better be treating you right! (I know he is.) I hope he's not stressing too much about Quidditch, though I'm sure he is, despite having you as his fabulous co-captain. Just remind him that you lot have a great team, and it's next year that really matters for him. And tell the tosser that I miss him, please._

 _How is Louis? He wrote me about a month ago, but he was a bit distant. I know this is hard for him. Please tell him that I love him, so much._

 _Anything exciting happen recently? Tell me all about it. I miss being able to just ask you about your day whenever I want. I know I'm the one that left, but it's still so hard._

 _Missing you babe!_

 _Love you so much._

 _Dom, Xx_

I grinned at the letter, as well as at the very messy, unfamiliar scrawl written just underneath Dom's neat signature.

 _And Mick :P_

I dipped my quill into my inkpot, grinning at the swirling, color-changing ink that I knew would make Dom smile.

 _Dom,_

 _Don't worry about not writing! I've missed hearing from you, but I understand why you weren't able to write._

 _Thank you so much for the charm! It's beautiful, and you're right, it's definitely the best one yet!_

 _Mick sounds great, and I'm really happy for you! It's about time you met someone who's going to treat you right. I hope everything works out exactly how you want it to. I would love to meet him._

 _And you can say/think you've changed, but honestly I don't think you were ever really into doing the things you did before. I think you did them because you were hurt, but it wasn't really you._

 _I like hearing about your love life. Keep the details coming! He seems like a really interesting person; one that the family will really like. (And Irish! Nice, very nice, though personally I'm more partial to the Scottish)_

 _And the picture was super cute. Jay and I tried to recreate it to send back to you, and I think we did a…decent job. We definitely would have failed without Coleen though._

 _Things are good here. Nikki's keeping me from studying too much, but Don's helping me when she does allow me to study, which makes me feel better about not doing it constantly. He's got some really great notes from last year, and he aced his OWL (he got 8 'O's and 2 'E's!). He should have been a Ravenclaw, honestly._

 _Jay's good! He's stressing a lot about the team, but more for next year than this year honestly. We had a really great game last week; Ravenclaw lost a bunch of their team last year so we were basically playing a bunch of new, inexperienced players. Jay said to take it easy on them, but their Captain came in to our locker room just before the game and asked us to just play. Said that she had a lot of really good new players on her team who weren't quite taking their new positions seriously, and a good arse kicking was what they really needed. Jay wasn't totally thrilled about doing it to benefit another team, but the major win we got over them means we've probably got this season in the bag. So now we're just planning for next year, when the scouts will be coming to see him play and to see how well he can put together a team._

 _And he says hi, and he misses you too._

 _Louis is…okay. He's not amazing, but he's doing alright. He really likes getting letters from you though. We've all been trying to keep an eye on him, so don't worry too much. He misses you a lot, but he misses Victoire too. I think he probably would have felt this way next year, even if you hadn't left early. It's just not what he's used to, being here without you._

 _It's not really what any of us are used to, to be honest._

 _Nothing incredibly exciting has happened here. Just long, boring classes, and the usual Hogwarts gossip. No attacks or anything like that, which we're all grateful for. They finally finished even the minute touch-ups in Diagon Alley, and Uncle George wrote yesterday to tell us that everything felt pretty normal again. He says the only real difference is that everyone's being a bit more guarded. I think that's a good thing, though I really think we could do to be more than a_ _bit_ _more guarded. But at least we're getting there._

 _I miss you Dom. I'm really, really glad you're doing what makes you happy, but it's lonely sometimes, without you._

 _Love you lots._

 _Ann_

 _P.S. Hi Mick :)_

 _P.P.S Jay told me he loved me. I, of course, said it back. It was pretty beautiful._

I smiled at the neat letter, blowing lightly on it to help it dry. The ink, which was a thousand different colors depending on which way you turned the parchment, glittered lightly in the moonlight. Finally, the letter was dry enough for me to roll up and attach to the pretty barn owl I had seen on my way in. The school owl stood proudly as I tied the note off, and I felt a bit bad for sending it on such a long journey.

"Could you please take this to my cousin Dominique Weasley? She's in America currently. It's a long flight, so if you need to stop and rest along the way, that's just fine. There's no rush," I whispered, rubbing the bird's feathers as I spoke.

The owl gave me a stern look that reminded me very much of Minnie, and I doubted it would be resting until the letter was delivered. I smiled sweetly at the bird, and it gave my fingers an affectionate nip before spreading its wings and soaring off into the night.

I watched it until its brown and white feathers were no longer visible. Finally, when the owl wasn't even a speck on the horizon, I turned and started the long trek back to the Common Room, pulling the Invisibility Cloak over me as I went.

* * *

 **Don't forget to check out** _ **The Moments In Between**_ **!**

 **Sorry (as usual) for the long wait between updates.**

scrumptiousinternetllama **: Your reviews are seriously the best thing ever! I'm glad you liked the scenes with Dom! I'm also glad to have finally gotten the whole thing with Freddy and George settled. I know it was sort of confusing for a while! And thank you** _ **so much**_ **! "this is like another installment to Harry Potter"-really the best thing I've ever read! : )**

laxgirl1415 **: Thank you (as always) for your kind words. I'm so glad you enjoy the story, and I'm glad that you enjoy my writing as well! Thank you for your review!**

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	21. The Visit

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 **I don't own Harry Potter. If I did I would write a short series on the twins' life at Hogwarts.**

* * *

 **The Visit**

* * *

My arms hung loosely around Freddy's neck as he carried me to breakfast. I was on his back, my head on his shoulder, and his hands gripped my ankles to keep me from slipping off in my exhaustion. I had been up almost all night, studying for my OWLs, and Jay had worked us half to death at Quidditch practice before that (not that I hadn't wholeheartedly agreed with his regimen, I did). I hadn't wanted to get up at all that morning, but we were having an important lesson in Potions and I hadn't wanted to miss it. Behind us trailed Circe, an unusual occurrence, as she typically preferred to remain in my room unless I needed her.

"Nix, I still think you should take a "sick" day today," Fred told me. "I'll take notes for you, and you know Slughorn would be happy to let you make the lesson up after classes on Monday."

I shook my head. "No, I don't want to miss today. I have a feeling something important will be happening."

Freddy sighed. "I hate it when you get those feelings…"

He took me down to the kitchens, letting me off his back and grabbing me when I staggered a bit. I then dozed by the fire while he sweet-talked the elves into making me a huge cup of coffee. I drank it way too quickly, and was left feeling jittery and a bit nauseous.

"Toast?" Fred asked, giving me a knowing look. I accepted, nibbling at the crust until my stomach settled down some. Afterwards I sat and responded Dom's most recent letter while Fred chatted with the elves and Circe lay purring by the fire.

Dom was still in America with Mick. They had gone to Disney World, in Florida, and the pictures she had included were absolutely adorable. My absolute favorite featured her and Mick in mouse ears, the loopy handwriting on the back labeling it "Mick(ey) and his Minnie". I had charmed the photo to stick to the wall behind my bed, along with most of my other family pictures. At the end of the letter she told me that they had officially planned their trip to Ireland, and she would be meeting his family while they were there. She had also given me yet another charm, which detailed a little fairy whose wings fluttered on occasion. I adored it.

We didn't leave until we absolutely had to, which resulted in us having to sprint to DADA and in us receiving a good deal of bruising after I tripped going up the stairs and brought both of us crashing down to the floor below. Professor Bernet pursed her lips as we slipped into class just moments away from being tardy, but said nothing as we sat in our seats. Circe slunk into the classroom unnoticed, and I quickly slid her under the edge of my robe before that could change.

I felt the bracelet on my wrist burn as I pulled out a quill and a journal for notes.

 _Rx: You were so close to being late! Thought you weren't coming, actually. You seemed pretty out of it in the dorm this morning. Feeling okay?_

I offered her a faint smile as I sent back a response.

 _Ph: I'm good. Went down to the kitchens and got some coffee this morning. I'll skip Runes and go to the Hospital Wing for a nap if I start to feel really off._

Her response was quick, but I had to wait to read it until Bernet stopped staring at us. I had a sneaking suspicion she knew that we were passing notes, but she wasn't quite sure how.

 _Rx: Sounds like a plan. Don't overwork yourself, little Mandrake._

I snorted before giving her a slight nod, and we were quick to get back to our notes.

* * *

"I still think you should have skipped," Lana informed me.

"I'm fine Lana. I'll eat a big lunch and I'll make sure to go to bed early tonight," I told her. She sighed, pulling her bag higher on her shoulder.

"No, I agree with Lana," Roxy spoke, dodging around a group of first years. We were headed to lunch, but we had to swing by the library first so that Lana could return a book. It was about to be late, and Madame Pince's hexes for overdue books were legendary.

"Of course you do," I sighed. "Look I just get the feeling that I need to suffer through today, okay? It's important."

Rox pursed her lips, clutching Circe, whom she had insisted on carrying around all morning, closer to her chest. "Like…a _feeling_?"

I nodded, a bit grim. "Yeah, one of those feelings."

Lana, having been my roommate for 5 years as well as part of our Clan for most of that time, had a basic understanding of what it meant when I got a strong feeling about something. She looked thoughtful for a moment before saying, "Well in that case, let's hurry and get to the library so that afterwards we can get you some food. Also, I think we should swing by the Hospital Wing and get you a Pepper Up potion. You really are looking under the weather today, and not just because you're tired."

I groaned as she pulled up her sleeve and pressed the inside of her wrist to my forehead. "Lana Phyllis I am fine!"

She ignored me, pulling her hand back to frown at Roxy. "Well she doesn't feel warm, but she looks right awful, doesn't she?"

Roxy's browns were furrowed as she nodded. "She really does. She's super pale, yeah?"

She reached forward, smoothing down my hair with her free hand. Lana moved to fix my jacket.

"Gerroff me!" I squealed, batting at their hands and backing away. They giggled as I tripped over my own feet, nearly falling over.

"Sorry Phoe. You really do look ill though."

I rolled my eyes. "Okay, I'll go for a Pepper Up as soon as I'm done eating."

They both looked satisfied, and I chose not to mention that I was only agreeing because I really needed to talk to Madame Scamander.

Roxy gently set Circe down before looping her arms through ours, humming merrily as she tugged us on our way. It was only then that I realized that Lucy was missing from our little group, and I immediately felt horridly guilty. Still, I chose not to mention it until we were almost to the Great Hall.

"Hey Lana, where's Lucy?"

Lana looked down, going a bit red. "Um, well we're having a bit of a fight right now. She was saying some ugly things about you two, actually. I didn't agree, and she got upset when I told her off. I hope you two don't mind me hanging out with you until she gets over it."

Roxy and I exchanged stunned glances before pulling the girl into a hug. I was quick to reassure her. "Lana, of course we don't mind you hanging out with us! You're our friend and we absolutely adore you. And you are so incredibly sweet for not just siding with Luce, we know she's your best friend and I can't imagine how hard this all must be for you right now. We'll talk to her and get this whole thing sorted out, but I'm so sorry you were forced to pick a side. That's not fair at all, but thank you so much for standing up for us."

Roxy and I chose not to ask her what Lucy was saying about us, not only because it didn't particularly matter, but because we didn't want to make Lana feel like she was betraying Lucy's trust. She had stood up for us, but we weren't going to make her a bigger part of this than we had to, because it wasn't at all fair to her.

We entered the hall and I immediately noticed Lucy giving the three of us a dark look. I ignored her easily, moving to sit next to Jay. Roxy quickly took the seat next to me, leaving Lana to sit across from us, next to Freddy and James.

"Hey lovely," Fred said, giving her a wink. She went scarlet and muttered a hello before stuffing a piece of bread in her mouth. He looked at me, eyes full of laughter, and I did my best to muffle a snort. I obviously failed, as I received a sharp glare from the little tomato across from me.

"How are you feeling?" Jay asked me, placing a few chicken sandwiches on my plate for me as he spoke. I grinned as I lifted the top piece of bread to see that he had removed any pickles they may have contained, but had added several slices of cucumber and some bell peppers. He waited patiently for me to respond, absentmindedly picking up Circe and placing her on his lap as he did so, but I was too distracted by the delicious food that had just been given to me.

"She said she's fine earlier," Roxy spoke, leaning around me to address Jay. "Obviously you won't be receiving a response from her now, as she's fully invested in her food."

I tried to protest, but found that I was unable to do so around my mouthful of sandwich. James laughed at me from his spot beside Fred, to which I responded by kicking him in the shin.

Jay grinned. "That's alright. I got her the good stuff, so I didn't really think she'd be up for much conversation."

Freddy let out a snort. "Jeez mate, you make it sound like you're giving her drugs."

"No!" I finally spoke up. I lifted the sandwich up for everyone to see. "Cucumber!"

There was a brief silence as they all stared at me. I ignored them, happily starting on my third sandwich.

"Hey!" Al broke the quiet, rushing up to our section of the table and cramming himself between Fred and James. "Have you heard? McGonagall hasn't been in any of her classes today! She had one of the other teachers give a lesson for the 7th years, but she cancelled the rest."

His face was twisted with concern, which I was certain was echoed in my own expression as I spoke up.

"Do you think she's alright? Have you heard anything on why she's not around?"

Al shook his head.

"Maybe she has some Headmistress duties that she forgot about," Roxy suggested. The others were quick to agree, and while I knew that it wasn't at all like Minnie to just drop everything without telling us why, I decided to let it go. Al stood, his gossip having been shared, and went back to his table. A few minutes later the tie around my wrist burned.

 _Al: I'll let you know if I hear anything else._

I sent a thank you in response before turning back to the conversation. I finished quickly, quickly downing the slice of pie Jay placed on my plate (strawberry!) before rising and grabbing my bag.

"To the Hospital Wing?" Lana asked, beginning to rise as well. I stared at her plate full of food with a cocked eyebrow until she lowered herself back into her chair.

"Love, finish your food. I'll take Lily with me and see you all in class!" I said cheerfully. I knew that I wouldn't get away with going on my own, and I wanted Lils to come along anyways. I had a feeling that my sudden illness, McGonagall's disappearance, and the bad feeling that had been eating away at my insides all day were connected, and if they were connected in the way I thought they were, Lily was the only one who could be of any help to me.

I breezed over to where Lily was sitting with her friends, laughing a bit as I glanced over my shoulder for Circe and witnessed Jay pouting as she immediately jumped from his lap to join me. I grinned at Alice, and she gave me a cheery wave in response.

"'Lo Phoenix? Feeling alright there?"

I groaned, rolling my eyes. "Ugh, not you too! Just because you're going to be a world famous healer some day doesn't mean that you get to nag me as well!"

She giggled. "I'm guessing you've already gotten a lot of that today?"

I nodded. "Yes I have. In fact, I was actually on my way to get a Pepper Up potion now. Lily, do you want to come with me?"

Lily glanced up with a smile. "Of course. See you lot in class!"

I concealed a grin as Lysander stood up from his seat (which was conveniently right next to Lily's) to help her with her bag. I caught Alice's eye and shot her a wink. She gave me a wicked smile in response, and I had a feeling that Lily's "teeny, tiny" crush on Lysander was about to be put into action via Alice Longbottom.

I knew I liked that girl.

Lily, Circe, and I walked from the Great Hall in silence, which we didn't break until we were alone in the corridors.

"So what's the deal? McGonagall cancelled our class today, and I heard she did that with all of her other classes as well. She didn't say anything about it last time we worked in the Wing either. That's not like her at all, because she would _always_ tell her students where she was at, but if she absolutely couldn't give them information she would at least owl _you_ to let you know she was okay. She knows that this is all way too important and dangerous to be disappearing without telling you. Has she owled you?" Lily burst out. She had clearly been waiting to have this conversation.

"I don't know anything more than you do. In fact, I didn't even know she wasn't having classes today until Al told me at lunch," I responded dejectedly.

She frowned. "So you're thinking Luna knows?"

"She's as good a guess as any. And even if Minnie's gone on official business, Luna will at least tell me that she's okay."

Lily looked relieved.

"So, you and Lysander looked pretty cute at lunch today," I told her, smirking a bit as I bumped my hip into hers.

She smiled slightly, her ears going a bit pink. "Ali thinks he may like me. I'm not certain about that, but I think that maybe there's a chance of him liking me in the future."

"I think that there's more than a "chance" of that!" I laughed. "The boy looks at you like you hang the bloody moon. If he's not already head over heels for you, just use your Lily Potter charms on 'im!"

Lily opened her mouth in mock-outrage, and I cackled wickedly.

"I so hate you!" She gasped. "Don't call it that!"

I grinned at her, and she narrowed her eyes at me playfully. I snorted with laughter before taking off running, and she quickly gave chase. Even Circe joined in, bounding through the halls beside us before darting in and running between our ankles. But the lighthearted display was cut short when I tripped into a doorway, smacking my shoulder on the stone frame.

"Ow!" I gasped, grabbing at my arm. Circe immediately let out a loud, concerned meow.

Lily skidded to a stop beside me. "Merlin's beard! Are you alright?"

I nodded. "Yeah, it's fine. Nothing compared to some of the injuries I've received in Quidditch. It just hurt so badly because I'd already bruised it this morning when Fred and I tripped going up the stairs."

Her brow furrowed. "You seem a bit clumsy today, huh? That's odd. You aren't normally. And you're a bit under the weather…and McGonagall's gone…"

I let go of my shoulder to put a hand on her head. "Hey, don't jump to any conclusions, alright? I need you to stay calm because if you start to freak out, I'm going to freak out. Okay?"

I watched Lily take a deep breath to calm herself. Then she nodded at me. "Okay. We'll go talk to Madame Scamander and get this all figured out."

I nodded, grabbing her hand and picking up my Kneazle before moving towards the Wing again. But before I could get very far, Lily tugged on my hand, pulling me to a stop. "Phoenix wait." I turned back to look at her, and my heart sank as I watched her bite her lip.

"Lily…"

She looked down, her eyes welling up with tears, and I was overcome with guilt. I yanked her towards me and wrapped one arm around her shoulders.

"Lily I know this is a lot. Believe me, I understand how overwhelming it all can be, and I know how much I'm asking of you when I ask you to keep it all a secret," I said, pulling away from the hug to grip her shoulder. "Look, we have to figure this out later, because right now we're running out of time to go see Luna and we _need_ to see her as soon as possible. But we will get this worked out. I promise."

Lily nodded, wiping under her eyes before grabbing my hand again. I pulled her along, and we moved through the hallways as quickly as we could, knowing that our time was running out. Finally we stood in the open doorway to the Wing, but the sight that lay before us wasn't at all what we had expected.

"Neville?" I asked, confused. He turned around, looking surprised to see us. "What are you doing here? Where's L-Madame Scamander?"

"Hey girls. Madame Scamander is out today, so I'm running the Wing when I don't have classes. Need something?" Neville asked.

I felt Lily's grip on my hand grow painfully tight. "Um, just a Pepper Up potion," I mumbled.

He nodded, reaching for a bottle. "Of course. Here you go."

He handed me the dose. I took it, muttering my thanks. I offered him a false smile, ignoring his look of concern with no small amount of guilt. The potion burned, but I hardly noticed it, I was so focused on my concern for Luna and Minnie. I pulled Lily out of the Wing and back towards the hallways.

"Phoenix. Phoenix. Annette. Annie. Phoe," Lily called softly, pulling on my hand. I ignored her until I could yank her behind a heavy tapestry and into a hidden room.

"Lily. Clearly something is going on. I need you to not think about it while you're in class, okay? No one can know that you know about everything, and until I figure out what's going on, we don't know who could be watching us here. So you need to be normal. I know that will be hard, but it's for your own protection. If I hear anything else, I'll let you know. And no matter what, tomorrow evening we're going to meet up and discuss everything, okay?"

She nodded, trying to look calm. In the corridor behind us, I could hear people talking and I knew our time was up.

"I'll walk you to class now, alright?" I told her. She nodded.

"Hey Phoenix?" She said as we began to weave our way through the crowded corridors.

"Yeah?"

"You may want to charm away the steam from the potion. It's still coming out of your ears."

"Oh!"

I quickly cast a spell to get rid of the steam, embarrassed to have been so distracted that I hadn't even noticed it. A few first years _had_ been looking at me strangely, but I had just put it down to my last name.

I let go of Lily's hand as we neared her class, and we both put on our best press faces as her classmates came into view. Circe purred comfortingly from where I had tucked her into my bag as I sucked in a deep breath to prepare myself.

"Hey Lils! Hello Phoenix," Lorcan exclaimed.

"Hey Lor," Lily said easily. The smile on her face was so good that _I_ almost believed it. "I see you survived lunch without me."

I laughed as she flipped her hair over shoulder daintily. Lorcan gave her a playful glare, looping his arm around her neck to muss up her hair.

"Survived without you?" He laughed. "More like thrived without you! It was great."

She gasped in mock hurt, elbowing him in the side. They were both laughing hysterically, as were Hugo, Mike Fess (his boyfriend), Lysander, and Alice. I grinned at the group, ruffling Hugo's hair as I passed by them on my way towards my own class. I kept my usual cheerful look on my face as I walked through the halls, but my thoughts were miles away.

Lily and I were doing our best to keep up with the _Ker_ and Minister Hastings, we thought we were getting closer to finding the spell that stopped them as well, but it could all be so overwhelming. I didn't understand how my parents and my Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron had been dealing with Lord Voldemort since their first year. I was a fifth year and I was still completely terrified and I constantly felt very overpowered.

I knew it was asking a lot of Lily to keep this whole thing to herself, especially since I knew that she wasn't coming to me to talk about it because she didn't want to give me more to worry about. I had tried to change her perspective on that, but she could be just as hardheaded as I was sometimes.

I had even considered letting her tell Alice, but I always changed my mind at the last moment. I knew that the knowledge was extremely dangerous, and I couldn't live with myself if Alice, who was technically my godsister, was hurt because of something I had done. It already kept me up at night knowing that Lily was in danger because of me.

But I'd realized that I needed to tell someone else. Someone that Lily could seek comfort with, but also someone who could help me, as well.

I knew exactly who I wanted to tell.

"Nix!" A voice yelled. A genuine smile grew on my face as my overdramatic best friend came tearing down the corridor towards me. I could hear people laughing as Circe dove out of my bag just moments before he picked me up, twirling me around dramatically. "You were gone for soooo long!"

I giggled before playing along. "I'm so sorry! I was called away by evil forces unknown."

He sniffed dramatically. "Well I-"

"Oh Merlin!" A voice laughed. I leapt out of Freddy's arms towards the owner of the voice, and Jay grinned before putting an arm around my shoulders. "She was only gone for 20 minutes! Even I survived it."

Fred gave me a mock wounded look, and I regarded him apologetically, blowing him a kiss. An outbreak of giggles from our spectators only encouraged our silliness.

I glanced up at Jay, and he rolled his eyes at me with a grin. I winked at him.

"Alright people, show's over! Move along, the twat-fest has officially ended!" Roxy ordered, waving her arms at the crowd of spectators. They began to disperse with noises of what I assumed to be faux disappointment. She leant down to pick Circe up, fussing over the spoilt feline and ignoring the rest of us.

"So did you get some Pepper Up potion?" Jay asked. I frowned at him.

"Of course I did. Can't you tell?"

Normally Pepper Up potion left the user very red-faced. I had dispelled the steam that accompanied the potion, but there was little I could do about the redness, so I had just let it be.

"Um…no? You look the same as before," Jay said, looking a bit concerned.

I immediately knew I had to play this off carefully. As much as I loved Jay, I wasn't going to be telling him about the _Ker_ any time soon. He was amazing; incredibly smart, brave, and kind, but I knew that he would be more concerned with keeping me out of the danger than with helping me get rid of it. The only danger Jay would accept me putting myself in was the danger that accompanied Quidditch, and even then I was certain he only accepted it because he knew that I felt that Quidditch was one of the best things I had in life.

It wasn't that Jay was controlling, and he would never tell me that I couldn't do something. It was that everything he would hear about the _Ker_ would make him worry for me, and he would constantly be thinking of how he could keep me out of danger. I needed to be thinking of how to get rid of the _Ker_ , not how I could avoid them.

"Oh, well I guess that charm Lily suggested worked better than we thought!" I said cheerily, like I was simply pleased to not be red-faced.

"What charm?" Fred asked. Shite. He was suspicious. Hopefully the others wouldn't notice.

"There's this charm that Lils had me do, she said it would get rid of the after affects. I assumed she meant the steam and the burning, but I guess it got rid of everything," I said simply.

Jay smiled sweetly at me, and I felt extremely guilty for lying to him. "Well, as long as it doesn't stop the potion from working, I suppose it's all good."

I smiled back at him. "I guess so!" Then I stepped back from underneath his arm, giving him a light shove on the chest as I went. "Okay, now you need to get going, you're going to be late for class!"

He laughed, holding up his hands and stepping away from me. "Alright, I'm going, I'm going!"

I grinned at him as Roxy took my arm. He waved before turning and disappearing into the crowds.

I too turned, facing our classroom.

I pretended not to notice Freddy's suspicious look. Maybe if I did, no one else would catch on.

Freddy, who knew me better than almost anyone…if he were suspicious, they all would be.

* * *

It happened at dinner.

I had just sat down, utterly exhausted by the long day, but still burning with questions. I had gone back to the Hospital Wing earlier, under the guise of getting a bruise paste for the various injures I had acquired throughout the day. I went during what was _supposed_ to have been our Herbology class, which I knew meant that Neville was still in the Wing, but I had been hoping that he would give me some hint as to whether or not Luna and Minnie were okay. Instead he had focused entirely on my sudden clumsiness and the marks it resulted in, and had completely ignored me when I tried to talk about anything different.

Jay slid his hand into mine, squeezing it tightly as he reached for a plate of mashed potatoes. Across the table, Fred was avoiding my eyes, and I was trying to act as though it wasn't affecting me. Next to him, James had just opened his mouth to speak, but what he was planning on saying I'll never know, for at that moment the doors to the Great Hall burst open and a sudden hush fell over the room.

McGonagall stood in the doorway, looking pale and as tired as I felt. Circe looked from her to me with a soft meow, and I rubbed her ears comfortingly as I examined Minnie. Her hair was as pristine as ever, but her eyes were darkly shadowed and her hand had a dark bruise on it as she waved it through the air.

"I do apologize for interrupting your meal. I just wanted to let everyone know that Madame Scamander and myself are quite well, and we do apologize for our absence today. We had some official business to attend to, but it is well taken care of and we will return to our typical duties as of Monday. Now, with that being said, I encourage you all to continue your meal," She said primly. She walked about slowly and patiently as the buzz of voices filled the hall once again.

"Well that was pretty," Roxy said, "But I don't believe a word of it."

"You don't, do you? Such a shame, I practiced that speech the whole way over here."

Roxy gasped, whirling about in her seat to face McGonagall, who was doing her best to suppress a smile.

"P-professor McGonagall!" Rox breathed. "I'm so, so sor-"

Minnie laughed. "It's quite alright. Now, I was wondering if I could borrow your dear cousin for a moment?"

She waited patiently until she realized why we were all staring at her in confusion.

"Oh! My apologies, I had forgotten just how many of you there were," She said, looking a bit flustered. "Believe me, it's not a mistake I make often. Miss Potter, please come with me."

I laughed, kissing Jay on the cheek before standing and walking around the end of the table, Circe winding between my legs the whole while. Minnie walked down to meet me, and I smirked at her playfully as we moved towards the doorway.

"Wow Min, sneaking up on people _and_ pretending to be wounded at something they've said? I'm wearing off on you, old lady," I teased.

Minnie gave me a condescending look. "You? Wear off on me? Child, I've weathered through your father and his friends, your uncles, five years of you and your cousin, and even the blooming Marauders themselves. _You_ , dear child, have no more worn off on me than you have on Mister Filch."

I laughed as we exited the hall. The moment the doors swung shut, the grin left my face.

" _Where_ have you been? Do you have any idea how worried I've been all day? You couldn't have owled or _anything_?" I berated her. A few years ago I wouldn't have even _thought_ the things I were currently saying while in her presence, but after many late nights in the Hospital Wings and a couple of (unwanted) matching tattoos, I was more than comfortable giving her a piece of my mind.

"I will tell you everything later this evening. But for now I need you to keep very quiet and collected, do you understand?" She said urgently, dragging me through the most obscure corridors as we spoke. I could tell we were headed for her office, but she was taking the most roundabout way possible.

I fell silent, instantly hushed by her very serious demeanor.

"Good. Now, you need to listen to me, because we're expected back at my office very soon. You need to remember that whatever happens, Luna and are going to be right there with you. Remember that. Okay?"

I looked at her, "You know, you're making me a bit nervous Minnie. What did you do, tell my Aunt Hermione that Fred and I hexed that toilet on the third floor to spray water at the third and seventh person who uses it each day?"

She froze. "You did what? That was yo-wait no, focus. Phoenix, this is serious. _Minister Hastings is sitting in my office right now_ , and he's waiting for _you_ to come in there and talk to him."

Static. White noise. McGonagall was speaking to me but I didn't understand a word that she was saying. Circe was puffed up to double her normal size and I was certain she was hissing, but I couldn't hear it over the blood roaring in my ears.

I tried to suck it up. I didn't want to be terrified in front of McGonagall. I could be scared later, when I was alone, or with my better half (Fred, not Jay), though he wouldn't understand.

But I was shaking.

"-enix. Phoenix are you listening to me?"

I shook my head, like a dog shaking water out of his ears.

"Yes. Yes I'm sorry. I'm listening, I am." I stuttered.

She looked at me, and I was grateful that her eyes showed no pity. "It's okay to be afraid child. I'm scared too. Luna's the same. This man, he created those terrible creatures. He did this to us, to Hogwarts, to Diagon Alley, twice. He's supposed to be the one to guide us from dark times, into the light, but instead he's done the opposite. He's evil, and it's terrifying, but we need to pretend not to be afraid. Because he _can't know that we were the ones his Ker marked_. I know he suspects, why else would he be here and asking to speak with you, no offense, but he can't be certain just yet. From what Ma'at told Luna, we think the _Ker_ don't remember faces, per say. They only need to be able to sense who they marked when they need them, or when they're nearby. Think of it as a homing beacon. So he has no idea who, exactly, they marked. So we need to throw him off of at least you, dear one."

I felt affection swell in my chest at the term of endearment, affection for this strict old woman, who had helped raise and educate hundreds of children. I knew many students never realized just how much their teachers did for them, but having spent so much time outside of class with all of my teachers, for extra lessons, detentions, and research on the _Ker_ , I understood it and I was so grateful.

"Okay. I can pretend to be clueless," I said.

She offered me a slight smile. "Just put on your very best…what do you lot call it…"

"Press face?" I offered.

"Exactly."

I tried to be collected as we hurried towards the Headmaster's office. As we reached the gargoyle guarding the entrance I tripped, and would have gone flying into the statue if Minnie hadn't grabbed me by the back of my cloak.

I glanced at her, but her eyes were locked forward on the stone creature in front of us. Her pursed lips gave her away though.

"You too?" I asked. She gave a sharp nod, then opened her mouth to give the password.

"Until the very end," Minnie spoke. I tried not to let my emotions show, for I knew that those were some of the last words my grandfather had ever spoken to my father in the Forbidden Forest. Dad kept almost everything from that walk private, but he had given a speech about the Battle of Hogwarts several years ago and he had mentioned that quote to us all.

The words gave me a bit of courage, and I set my shoulders back and put on my best press face as the staircase slowly moved us towards her office. At the last moment, McGonagall grabbed Circe and placed her beneath her cloak, and I had a feeling that my Kneazle had just been magically silenced.

The door was opened, and I felt my heartbeat speed up as my eyes landed on the man standing with his back to me by the fireplace.

Minister Hastings turned, a broad smile spreading across his face. I forced myself to offer him a shy smile in return, rather than to flinch away like I wanted to.

My eyes landed on a portrait just to his left. In the painting was the Headmistress I had spoken with when the _Ker_ had been attacking Hogwarts. In the seconds it took Hastings to cross the room she made a small gesture, and I realized I had been holding my breath.

"Hello Miss Potter!" Minister Hastings boomed cheerfully. He held out his hand for me to shake, and I made myself take it. As soon as my skin touched his cold, dry hand, my necklace hanging beneath my shirt began to feel warm against my chest. Minnie clutched her hand to her cloak, where the small shape of my Circe could be seen, wiggling about desperately.

"Hello Minister," I responded timidly.

He chortled, giving me a little wink. "Now, now Phoenix-may I call you that?" He asked suddenly. All I could do was nod. "Excellent. Now Phoenix, I know that you're a very polite girl, but you needn't act in any special way for little old me! I think that you and I could get to be very good friends, you see? I'm here to talk to you today because I think you're a very, very special girl."

I gave Luna a questioning glance, and she played along nicely, giving me a dreamy smile and a lazy shrug. I was immediately comforted, for I knew that, if she was still pretending to be spacey, the game hadn't been lost yet.

I turned my gaze to Hastings, tilting my head slightly in an attempt to portray curiosity.

His smile grew. "See Phoenix, in my free time I try to keep up to date on a lot of the tabloids and newspapers. I know that a lot of that stuff is, pardon my language, total shite, but I'm of the opinion that sometimes the press gets it right. I believe that if something is printed over and over again over a very long span of time, it is most likely true. And much of the stuff printed about you is very consistent. So from what I've gathered, you seem to be very loyal to your friends and family, extremely intelligent, dedicated, hard working, very athletically gifted, quite the charmer, polite, and quite the little prankster, which in my opinion shows a good deal of innovation and creativity," He winked at me again.

I had never been very self-conscious, but after hearing him describe me in a fairly accurate way and having him tell me that _he_ appreciated my traits, I suddenly wanted to crawl out of my own skin.

"Not to mention you have rather lovely features, which will help greatly," He added, as though that was the last thing he was worried about.

"Help with what, may I ask?" Minnie cut in. I caught the eye of the painted Headmistress, and she began gesturing at me once again. This time, however, my attention was demanded elsewhere before I had a chance to work out what she meant.

"Well you see, in the ministry we've decided that we want some of the younger members of society to get involved in politics and such in advance. Think of it as a sort of…internship, if you will. We would be having students come and help Ministry workers, so that they could see how things work! I do apologize, Minerva, for not calling upon you sooner and conferring with you about it, but once we voted that we thought it was a good idea, many members of the Ministry were so eager that they spread the word and now it's most likely going to wind up in the papers some time this week," Hastings said, not looking apologetic in the slightest.

McGonagall bristled. "So you're telling me that I have absolutely no say in this?"

He did a decent job of looking startled. "Oh no! Of course you have a say in such matters, I just wanted to inform you that whatever decision you make will have to be a public one, as the public will know about this whole idea shortly. But I would never finalize anything without giving you your right to _nix_ an idea."

I tried not to react at the emphasis he put on my nickname. I simultaneously wanted to hurl and to punch him in the face after hearing the precious word leave his lips, but neither seemed like a particularly good idea at the moment.

Minnie's lips were pursed so thinly they were hardly there at all. "Of course not. Please go on to tell us why you've pulled one of our OWL students from dinner and are keeping her from studying before she retires to bed."

The minister looked extremely displeased at her dig. "Well I only wanted to offer her a very grand opportunity! Now, when a business, shall we say, begins a new program, it's always a good idea for the man in charge, which in this case would be me, to try it out first. It sets a good example for all of the employees, you see."

Oh gods, please tell me this wasn't going where I thought it was going.

"With this knowledge in mind, I have decided to offer Phoenix the opportunity of being my very own intern!" He said proudly.

Oh Merlin, please no. I couldn't handle being around this man any more than I had to.

McGonagall seemed less than pleased with his offer as well.

"Minister, I don't know if you're aware or not, but Phoenix's interests for a future career lie solely in professional Quidditch. Were that to fall through, though Merlin knows that's highly unlikely with the way the girl plays, her next choice would be to coach Quidditch. And were that option to fall through as well, Phoenix would then pursue a career in healing. I can assure you that she has no interest in a job at the Ministry. An internship with you would hold no value for her later on in life, and if anything it would _lack_ value, as she is currently studying to take her OWLs. Another distraction from her tests is the last thing that she needs. Also, I will not be allowing my younger students to be a part of your system. If you require Hogwarts students for your program, my NEWT students may sign up to participate, and then they may be admitted after their teachers and their Head of House have discussed whether or not they believe that the student will be able to successfully juggle NEWTs and what is essentially a job. If you would still like Phoenix to intern for you by the time she is a seventh year _and_ if she is interested, then at that time you may see about it. Thank you very much for visiting to update me on the _suggested_ security measures for _my_ school today, and for _offering_ to allow _my_ healer to attend the new healing training. We will let you know if our decisions on both of those offers change, and we would thank you to please let us know next time you decide to visit us at work. Please feel free to use my floo to return to your office."

I was absolutely in awe of Minnie as Hastings opened his mouth to object, then closed it again before taking a step back.

"Well, in that case I will arrange for us to meet and further discuss creating internships for the…seventh years," He said, very coldly. "And I thank you two ladies for your time."

Then he turned to me, and the look on his face sent chills down my spine. "And as for you, Phoenix, I do hope we meet again soon. I am very intrigued by you, and I would like to have a proper conversation with you sometime. If you'd ever like to write me, I'd be thrilled."

He gave me a wicked smile, one that told me that not writing to him could very well turn out to be a mistake on my part. Then he patted me on the head, and I barely stopped myself from jerking away.

"Good day," He said simply. He stepped into the floo and disappeared without a whisper.

As soon as he was gone it was like a string had been cut. I flew backwards, landing on my arse. Minnie and Luna did the same, and it was then that I realized I hadn't suddenly become a klutz. The hairs on my arms rose as I realized that all day long I had been tripping and stumbling in the same direction…

All day long I had been fighting a pull that drew me towards Minnie's office.

Towards Minister Hastings.

And now that he was gone, the pull was too, and it was only once the pressure was gone that I realized that it had been there at all. I looked at Luna in horror, and she stared back at me with a similar expression as McGonagall stood, set my kitten down, and tried to calm the very angry Headmaster and Mistress portraits. I shifted my gaze to Circe, who was puffed up, her mouth drawn open in a silent hiss. Luna reached for her, drawing her into her lap and running her hands across the Kneazle's fur in an attempt to sooth her.

"What in Merlin's name was that?" One painting demanded.

"I have never seen behavior like that from a Minister! What is really afoot here?" Another said suspiciously.

"You have been hiding something, and now you must reveal your secrets!"

Dumbledore gave me a concerned glance before turning to address Minnie. "Minerva, is there anything we can help you with?"

Finally, a voice spoke. "Enough."

Though the voice was not very loud, the room instantly fell silent. I shifted my gaze to the portrait that had spoken, and found the Headmistress I had spoken to during the attack gazing back at me.

Once she saw that I was returning her look, she spoke. "Hello Phoenix Potter."

I quickly stood and curtsied without shame. Had I been in front of my family or friends I would have felt ridiculous, but here in front of the elderly residents of the paintings, McGonagall, and Madame Scamander, I didn't bat an eye.

"Hello Madame. I'm sorry to say that I don't know your name," I admitted, a bit ashamed.

But the painting simply smiled at my words.

"Well of course you do not. I have not had the chance to introduce myself yet. I was once Hogwarts's first Headmistress and the princess of Egypt, but nowadays I am known simply as Nebetia," She ducked her head slightly, and I realized why she had always seemed so familiar. She bore features similar to those we had seen etched into carvings and painted on murals around Egypt. She bore the features associated with Egyptian royalty.

For a few moments I had trouble remembering how to speak. Luckily, it seemed that my participation in the conversation was momentarily over, for Nebetia had now turned her attention to McGonagall. I took the opportunity to scoop up Circe and hold her to my chest, though I left the Silencing spell on her for a bit longer.

"Minerva, I have refrained from asking for a very long time, for it is not our place to pry, but I must do so now. What has happened? For many months you have been disappearing from this office in the evenings, then returning much later at night with various notes and books over things from my country. We are here to help you and to guide you, so please Minerva, use us as the resources that we are. I know much about my country, for I have many paintings that have existed there for thousands of years. We only wish to help you," Nebetia pleaded.

McGonagall sighed. "Fine. But on your honor, on your duty and loyalty to this school, each of you must swear that this information will not be given to anyone else, do you understand?"

To my amazement, at her words each painting began to glow, one after another. Some of the paintings glowed Ravenclaw blue, some Gryffindor scarlet, some Slytherin green, some Hufflepuff yellow, and a few a pristine white. Nebetia was the last one to begin glowing, and she too took on the clean white hue. As soon as each painting was illuminated, the room was filled with an array of sparks and flashes of light. When it was over I felt a strange tingling feeling on my left hip. I lifted the edge of my shirt to reveal…another marking.

"I do apologize," Minnie sighed. "There was little I could do. Truly powerful, ancient magic has a tendency to leave marks, and you've been touched by magic as old as the school itself."

I shrugged, letting my shirt fall back into place. The tattoo was petite, just a simple white mark that looked like a scar unless you looked closely enough to see that it was actually in the shape of a tiny key.

"It's not that big. And it's pretty. I'm okay with it," I said honestly.

"Well I'm glad," Minnie responded. "Now, our tattoos do nothing to affect us, but theirs force them to remain silent about this unless there comes a time when what we tell them tonight must be told to someone else in order to save Hogwarts."

At her words, I leaned forward to examine the portrait of Dumbledore. He smiled at me, pointing down to the corner of his picture frame. I looked closely until I made out a very faint keyhole shaped out of the wood's grain. I would never have even noticed it if I hadn't known I was looking for something. I moved down the line of paintings, smiling my hello at each one, and I noticed that some frames had one mark, while others had two, or even three.

As I moved along, McGonagall began to recount our tale, beginning, not with the _Ker_ , but by reminding them of everything that Minister Hastings had done with the imprisoned Death Eaters. Then she slowly made her way to the night of the attack, telling her story but allowing Luna and I to tell our own. Nearly every portrait seemed horrified at the descriptions of the torture we had endured, and even the oldest and grumpiest seemed much more tolerant of me by the time I finished speaking. Then she told them about the research we had done last year, during my "detentions" in the Hospital Wing. Then came the story of both attacks on Diagon Alley, which brought more gasps of shock and sympathetic looks in my direction. When it came time to tell them about Egypt, Luna and I took over, careful to tell the tale without revealing too much about Ma'at.

The former Headmasters and Headmistresses fell silent once our story was finished, seeming to think over their next plan of action. Finally they began to take turns asking McGonagall, Scamander, and me questions.

They questioned us on nearly every detail possible for what felt like hours. When they finally asked everything they could think of, they began to mutter amongst themselves. I looked at Minnie, exhausted, in hopes that she would let me leave. My heart sank when she motioned for me to join her and Luna by the fire instead.

"I know you're ready to go to bed," McGonagall said as I drew close, "But I think we should try to discuss today's events before we forget any of the details. I promise we'll make it quick."

I nodded, understanding the necessity of what she was asking.

"Here," She said, waving her wand at an armchair by the fire. It quickly transformed from the already comfortable-looking chair to a seat so plush and squishy, I was afraid just looking at it would put me to sleep. She then did the same with two other chairs, before motioning that we should sit down. Circe jumped into my lap as soon as my bum touched the seat.

"Scoop," Luna called. A little house elf appeared, bowing low before her. "Could you bring up some soup, sandwiches, and tea?"

Scoop nodded, disappearing with a crack. We were silent as we waited for him to return. It wasn't until he did, carrying a plate full of grilled cheese and tomato soup that smelled _fantastic_ , that I realized just how hungry I was.

"Oh yes, I did forget that I pulled you away from dinner," McGonagall said apologetically.

"That's alright, I hadn't even realized that I was hungry until just now," I responded, dipping my sandwich into the soup before taking a bite.

"Good," She said, reaching for a cup of tea. "Now, I'll tell of my day first, if you don't mind."

Once we both indicated that we were fine with her suggestion, Minnie began to speak.

"I had only just begun to get my things together for my first class when my floo alarm went off. Very few people have access to my floo without having an appointment, so I thought I was prepared for whoever was visiting. I was not, however, prepared to stand from my seat and immediately trip. I wound up on my hands and knees just as Hastings emerged from the grate. Not exactly the impression I was hoping to give to him. He then dusts himself off, offers me a hand back onto my feet, and says, 'Hello Minerva. I was hoping you would have time to go over some _very_ important security measures. I know we never got a chance to discuss what exactly happened the night that Hogwarts was attacked, but I would love to do so now'. What else could I do but say yes? So he then proceeded to quiz me on every single aspect of the evening, and I had such a hard time not accidentally telling him about the _Ker_ marking us! It was absolutely crazy. I didn't even think it was possible for him to come up with so many questions. Then as soon as he runs out, he produces a handful of blueprints from his pocket and begins discussing "safety measures" that essentially give the Ministry full power to oversee and control things here at Hogwarts. When I politely declined his "help", he shrugged, rolled up the plans, and asked to see Luna."

Luna quickly jumped in to tell her part of the story. "When I was called up I didn't realize it was going to be for the whole day, but the first thing the Minister says to me upon my arrival is 'Did you find someone who could cover your Wing for today?' and when I told him that I hadn't realized that I would be gone for the whole day, he goes on to offer me an assistant! And one straight from the Ministry, to boot! He must suspect that we're the ones his _Ker_ marked. Then he suggests that I sign up for some healing classes, claiming that they'll teach me many new techniques that they want to be put to use at Hogwarts. I told him I would have to think about it, but it didn't seem to deter him in the slightest. He spent ages telling Minerva and I all about the program, trying to convince us that I should go. Then he started asking me what I had done the night of the attack, and who I had had to take care of and treat that night. I'm sorry Phoenix, but I had no choice but to tell him that I had healed you. He said, 'I heard that you had to take care of one of the Potters. One of my assistants overheard the Aurors talking about it.' So I told him. After that…well after that he wanted to see you."

"But we told him he wasn't allowed to ask you about the night of the attack," McGonagall said quickly. "We told him that it upset you."

"That's good, I'm glad I didn't have to try and maneuver my way through a conversation about that night without giving anything away," I said.

"Now, why don't you tell us about your day?" Luna asked.

I gave them the full details, not glossing over anything that I thought could be useful. I told them about how Circe had followed me around all day, about how Al came to see me at lunch, about going to see Luna twice, and about tripping and falling continuously.

"Yes, I was very much lacking grace and balance today," McGonagall said. "I guess now we know why. This is extremely bad. This means that even when Minister Hastings isn't summoning his army, even when they aren't calling their marked "slaves" to them, we still feel the urge to go to him. The spell that he used to make those horrid creatures must have been even more powerful than we thought."

We sat in silence for a while, letting her words sink in.

Between the warmth of the fire, Circe's soft fur beneath my fingers, the comfort of the chair surrounding me, my full stomach, and all of the exhaustion from my long day and from my utter terror earlier, I was struggling to keep from falling asleep. Finally I realized that I physically could not stay awake any longer, and I struggled to my feet.

"Tired?" Luna asked sympathetically. I nodded. "I'll bet. I'll walk you back to your Common Room, okay? It's late and I don't want you to go alone."

"Okay," I said. "Goodnight Minnie."

"Goodnight Phoenix," She said softly.

"Goodnight everyone," I called, turning to face the portraits. I received an affectionate chorus of 'sweet dreams' and 'good night Miss Potter'.

"May your dreams be as sweet and blessed as you, Miss Phoenix," Nebetia spoke last, and I sent her the prettiest smile I possibly could, forcing my tired limbs into a curtsy for the Egyptian princess. I vowed to find every book in the library over her history the next morning.

"Thank you, your highness," I whispered back. The smile I got in return was lovely.

Luna and I made light conversation as we travelled down the corridors. I was too tired to put to much effort into it, so we mainly discussed Lysander and Lily, something I knew Lils would kill me for next time the conversation came up. Luna suspected that the feelings between her son and goddaughter were mutual, and I had to agree.

We had pretty much exhausted the topic by the time we reached the entrance hole. As much as I adored her, I was beyond relieved to wish Luna a goodnight and a safe journey back to the Wing before scrambling into the Common Room. However, I had only just made it to the bottom of the girls' staircase when I realized that I couldn't go to bed just yet.

I turned around and crept up the boys' staircase, tiptoeing down the hall until I reached the fifth year dormitory. Circe leapt down from my arms, padding silently across the room and leaping into the far bed moments before I kicked off my shoes and did the same. I barely had time to cast a Silencing spell before the bed's occupant let out a groan, wrapping an arm around my waist and pulling me into the bed. The curtains closed behind me.

"You finally going to tell me what the hell is going on with you?" Freddy asked. I could barely make out the outline of his shoulder in the darkness, but I could tell that he was about fed up with me.

"Give me two minutes," I whispered. I could tell he was getting ready to object, but I needed two minutes of this, this feeling of total love and big-brotherly protection that Freddy gave me. He must have understood, for he simply sighed, wrapping an arm around my waist and letting me press my face into his chest. I could feel Circe purring above our heads, and I knew he must have let her curl up at the top of his pillow.

"I've been really patient with you," Fred told me. "I haven't asked you a thing, I haven't pried or snooped. I didn't get mad when you wanted to keep it a secret, I didn't get mad when you told Lily, I didn't even get mad when you ran off to bloody _Egypt_ to do Merlin _knows_ what! I let it go at the beginning because I knew that you were hurting and I figured that pushing things would hurt you even more. I thought maybe it would do you good to figure things out for yourself. But this…this _thing_ is _still_ hurting you, and bloody hell Phoenix it's been months. If this isn't getting better for you then I have to know what happened to you that night!"

I didn't have to see his face to know that he was fighting tears. I was too, though I wouldn't ever admit it.

"I…when…that night…" I stuttered, struggling to find the words to explain to him, my best friend and possibly the one person who knew me the best, that I had been marked and claimed by the most evil of creatures.

I couldn't think of any way to say it that would lessen the hurt that was about to befall my other half. So instead I sat up, reaching for his wand. It was warm in my hand, not quite as comfortable as my own, but I could feel that it would work well for me.

" _Lumos_ ," I whispered. Light filled the little space between his heavy curtains, and I pressed the wand into Fred's hand. In the pale yellow light I could make out his face, and the pale, watery-eyed boy who looked at me in that moment nearly broke my heart. I knew I probably looked as scared as he did as I turned my back to him and yanked off my cloak, so that just my shirt and my skirt remained. I took a deep breath and, hands shaking violently, I pulled up the edge of my shirt.

Telling Fred was different from telling Lily. With Lily it had hurt, but I knew that, while my little sister was scared for our family, and us, she was also eager to learn about and work to defeat the _Ker_. There was still a hint of childish wonder and curiosity for her, still the promise of a heroic, fairytale ending. And as much as my sister and I loved each other, we hadn't truly been close before I had told her about the _Ker_.

Freddy was the opposite. I knew that in telling him about the _Ker_ , I would be telling him that there was unavoidable pain and hurt in my future. I was telling him that there was a chance we might not defeat the creatures.

There was a chance I was telling him that I was doomed.

And with Fred, my pain was his, and vise versa. Fred was my closest friend, my number one confidant in life, and he would understand how much terror and hurt this whole thing had caused me.

Telling Fred was going to hurt both of us, and as the bottom of my shirt rose up my spine, I knew we were both terrified.

The strangled noise that he made was like a dagger to my chest. I knew he was too smart to think that the horrid marking was just a tattoo. I glanced over my shoulder and met his eyes, and found them swimming with tears.

"What _is_ that?" He choked out.

"It's an Egyptian hieroglyphic," I said softly.

"What…what does it mean?" He whimpered. I could tell he was almost too scared to ask.

I hesitated, but I knew that if I didn't tell him this, right at that moment, I would never tell him any of it. So I took a deep breath and forced myself to whisper, "Slave."

He couldn't have looked more pained if I had punched him in the gut. I yanked down my shirt and crawled into his lap right as his shoulders started to shake. The last thing I wanted to do in that moment, with his arms wrapped around me as his tears dripped into my hair, was to upset him further, but I knew that I had to tell the rest of the story before I lost my nerve.

So I took another deep breath and began to speak.

* * *

 **Third Person Point of View (Minister Hastings)**

 **Minister of Magic's Office, Ministry of Magic, London**

* * *

Minister Hastings was furious at how the day had gone. He knew, _knew_ , that McGonagall, Scamander, and the Potter girl had been marked by his _Ker_. He had originally been thrilled upon finding out, but then he had learned that McGonagall and her crazy Healer wanted nothing to do with him, and they clearly had plans to keep the girl away from him as well.

Phoenix Potter…

He hadn't been lying when he told her that she fascinated him. He had been reading tabloids and articles for months trying to figure the girl out, but she was truly a puzzle. He had hoped to hear her speak in McGonagall's office, but she had hardly spoken two words to him. He wanted to understand the girl because he thought she would be useful to him, but without his "intern" plan he wasn't sure how he was going to make that happen.

But Phoenix hadn't been the only name that had caught his attention in the Headmistress's office. He had one other student he wanted to reach out to, but this one he was certain he could get on his side. Perhaps he could even use her in trying to figure out Phoenix Potter.

He reached for a quill and a piece of parchment, planning what he wanted to write very carefully.

 _To Miss Julie Vane_ …

* * *

 _ **Important, please read**_ _ **:**_ **I'll doing a poll that's really important. Do you want me to continue as I am right now, with long chapters but also long waits between posts, or would you like me to start writing shorter chapters but posting more often? It's completely up to you lot because you're the ones who read this story. You get a vote each, and only registered users are allowed to vote! Sorry for my guests, that wasn't my decision, it's site rules. You can find the poll in my bio, and I'll be leaving it up for a while, so please go check it out. Just know that I'll be writing my next chapter based off of what's winning at the time, so you could very well be getting a shorter chapter fairly soon here!**

 **Okay so recently I've been receiving requests for ship names! So I've decided that instead of just picking one, I'm going to create another poll that lets you all choose Phoenix and Jay's ship name! I'll be letting you have two votes on that one, so make sure you pick your absolute favorites! It's mainly just for fun, but the winning name may be making its début in the story itself, so keep your eyes peeled! That one will be put up right after the other is taken down, so go vote!**

 **Please vote for your favorite name! If we get lots of votes I may decide run polls for other things as well. Let me know what you think. Xx**

 **I really hope that the scene where she told Fred wasn't too dramatic. Please remember that Fred and Phoenix are closer to each other than they are with anyone else, including their parents, other best friends, and even their significant others and their own twins.**

 **And lastly, please take a moment to picture Freddy sweet-talking a bunch of house elves into making Phoenix a cup of coffee. Picture our Freddy, our leather-jacketed, motorcycle and dragon loving, tanned, freckled redhead, flattering a bunch of tiny, floppy-eared elves. For a cup of coffee. Now add a half-asleep Phoenix to the background of that picture. I laughed so hard writing that scene.**

Guest **(** Katy **): Thank you a million times for all four of your reviews! Oh my gosh you're so amazing! And definitely don't apologize for** _ **accidentally**_ **(you're the cutest I swear!) leaving multiple reviews, even if they are super similar! Reviews are the best thing ever, and yours mean so much. I'm so glad you like the story! Thank you again!**

Arianna Waters **: I'm so stoked you like the story! Don't worry about being a silent reader until I finish; I totally get it! Thank you so much for both of you reviews! I'm so glad you liked the story! But about making you cry—I'm SO sorry! Especially about the things "from your real life". If you ever need to talk about anything, my PMs are always open. Xx**

Vienna Raine **: I'm really glad that you like the story and the relationship dynamics. I adore all of the characters, but Dom is definitely one of my favorites! Developing her character has been so much fun. Hers and Phoenix's relationship is one of the easiest to write too. Believe it or not, it's Fred and Phoenix's that's probably the hardest! It's great when it's all fun and games, but it's hard not to cross the line between familial and romantic with those two. Thank you so much for your review!**

HerondaleLover1 **: You're the best! So you left too many reviews for me to address each one individually, but please know that I read every single one and each one meant the world to me! And ship names are a great idea; don't forget to vote! Thank you so, so much!**

Guest **(** Raina **): I'm so glad you like the story! Thank you for suggesting ship names; if you're wanting to vote you'll have to make an account! I'm so sorry about that, it's not my rule and I would change it if I could! But thank you so, so much for your many, many reviews! You're the greatest!**

Guest **(** Cher **): I get the feeling that you and Raina are friends! And if not, you should be! Thank you for your reviews and for suggesting ship names! Remember, if you want to vote you'll have to make an account! It's not my rule, and I would change it if I could! So sorry! And I'm so glad you like the story! Thanks again for your reviews!**

scrumptiousinternetllama **: Sarah! So I've finally given up and added your username to my personal dictionary so that it stops telling me I've made a spelling error when I type it out. LOL. So I'm super glad that you decided to scroll down in your emails and saw the alert for my story as well! Thank you as always for your fabulous review! I'm glad that I managed to keep Phoenix's character consistent with all of the fluff I had going on last chapter, that's always one of my biggest struggles! I just read so many other stories that it's hard not to mix her character with another that catches my eye! And Minerva/Phoenix is such a hard relationship to write, because I'm trying to keep canon McGonagall, but I'm also trying to write her into my story, interacting with my OC, and obviously she has such a different relationship with Phoenix than she did with Harry. I'm glad you think I did all right with it! And yes! Teddy is my baby. I love him so much. I will definitely be writing the story you suggested about him for The Moments in Between soon, so keep your eyes peeled for that! I'm glad you're still liking this story, and thanks so much for your reviews.**

 _ **Special Note**_ **: Orlando**

 **I can't keep up with all of the terrible things that are going on in the world enough to write a little note about all of them. But I did hear about Orlando, and if any of you live nearby or have family that were involved, please know that my thoughts are with you. What happened there is absolutely horrid. Love is love. No ands, ifs, or buts about it. And I love all of you as you are.**

 **And on a lighter note, of course I have to give a special thanks to you babes! Thank you for reading, reviewing, favoriting, and following! Much love.**


	22. Just Below The Surface

**Author's Note: I unfortunately do not own Harry Potter. If I did, I would have written Crookshanks a girlfriend.**

* * *

 **Just Below The Surface**

* * *

"Phoenix?" A voice whispered very softly. I opened my eyes slowly, already regretting not getting enough sleep for the second night in a row. "Phoe? Do you want to take a walk?"

My gaze focused on James. In the early morning light he looked young, in a way he hadn't in a very long time. I could tell from the slightly vulnerable look on his face that something was on his mind and he needed to talk, and I knew immediately that I wouldn't be denying him that in favor of extra sleep.

So instead I nodded, carefully slipping out of Freddy's bed and sliding on my shoes. I nicked one of his jumpers so that I wouldn't be wearing the same thing as the day before, then I nodded at the door, letting James know I was ready to go.

James waited until we exited the Common Room before speaking. "Do you want to walk along the grounds a bit?"

I nodded. While we made our way outside I redid my hair, already regretting having slept with it up, as my head was now rather sore.

It was a rather lovely day out, if not a bit cold, and James and I were content to walk along in silence. For the first time in quite a while I relaxed. The grounds were surprisingly still and silent, dawn having just broken in the distance, and there wasn't a single ripple in the lake. A hint of low-lying fog covered the far side of the water, but the sky was remarkably clear, and for a moment the moon, just visible above the Forbidden Forest, caught my eye. Our breaths created little clouds in the air in front of us, and I enjoyed the way the frosty grass crunched under my feet.

When James found a tree with low enough branches for us to haul ourselves onto we stopped. I let him climb first; knowing he would defrost the tree's limb for us. Once he seemed comfortable I followed, pleased that I only had to jump a bit to reach the lowest branch. The view of the grounds was even more stunning from up high, and as I settled in, I found myself wishing I had a cup of tea and a book between my fingers.

After a few minutes James finally broke the silence. "First of all, are you okay? I know you were ill yesterday, but I didn't get the chance to ask you after dinner, as you were with McGonagall."

"I'm fine," I responded. We were both speaking rather softly, and I expected it was because James was as reluctant to break the tranquil feeling around us as I was.

He nodded, accepting my answer easily. That was when I knew that something was really bothering him, for my brother was extremely nosy even on the best of days. I was honestly fairly surprised he hadn't already exploded, for James was never the type to be quiet about things. He typically made his opinions or concerns well known, without any sort of hesitation.

"Are you okay?" I asked him.

"You're writing to the family today, right?" He dodged the question.

I nodded. While I wrote to both Dom and my godmother on a fairly regular basis, I tended to stick to writing my parents and Ted once a month, and everyone else about every three months. If I had anything particularly impressive to tell my parents I would write home sooner, but otherwise I was fine doing it on a fixed schedule.

James knew this because he did the same thing. We had coordinated it so that we wrote home and to Teddy with almost exactly two weeks in between our letters, so that our parents were hearing from one of us fairly often, and to everyone else with about a month and a half between. Lily and Al tended to write more frequently than we did, so we had just let them figure their own system out.

"That's what I thought. So it's been a while since you've heard from Ted, then?" He confirmed.

"Yeah, why?"

"Well, because I got a letter from him yesterday and he seemed off."

"He only just wrote you back yesterday? And what do you mean 'off'?" I questioned.

"No, I had written him about something we learned in DADA and he was responding to that. But he just seemed really distracted. He wrote a whole lot of nonsense; rambling aimlessly," As he spoke, James let out a little laugh, though it wasn't particularly a happy one. "It was almost like I could hear him talking, you know? He was going on and on about something random that happened at work."

I sighed. "Well he didn't seem weird a month ago. I'll let you know if that's changed by his next letter."

"Thanks," James whispered. I turned a bit, gently setting my head on his shoulder. He immediately responded by sliding his arm around my waist, squishing me close to him in a way that he hadn't since we were kids. We sat in silence for a while longer, just watching the sunrise. Finally, when the sun had completely risen and was beginning to grow warm enough to burn off some of the mist, I stood carefully.

"I'm going to go get some tea," I told him.

"No breakfast?" He asked.

"I'll probably grab a bowl of whatever fruit they have," I told him. "I'm just going to walk down to the kitchens and get it. I don't want to go into the hall because I'm going to take my stuff and head straight up to the Owlery. I want to get those letters written because I have other things to take care of today."

"Okay," James said.

I turned around, putting both of my hands on the tree limb and lowering my body towards the ground. I hung there for a moment, my feet dangling about a foot off of the ground, before I let go of the branch. The soles of my shoes had only just brushed the grass below me when James spoke again.

"Phoenix?"

I tipped my head back, gazing at my twin in curiosity. "Yeah James?"

"I'm sorry."

"For what?" I asked, perplexed.

James sighed. "I'm your twin brother. But I don't ever act like it. If anyone who didn't know were to guess who your twin brother was, they'd say Fred. You two act more like twins in a day than you and I have our whole lives."

"James-" I started, but he quickly cut me off.

"No. Really Phoe, I know that we're not living during a war like our parents did. Sure there are battles and stuff going on, but we're not right at the center of it."

"If only you knew," I breathed, so softly I could barely hear it myself.

James continued, unaware of my interruption. "But we should still be looking out for each other, you know? And I'm sorry I haven't been doing that."

I shook my head. "James, we come from such a big family, sometimes it's hard to keep up with everyone. You and I have a great relationship. Maybe we're not constantly attached at the hip; but I know that I will always have you to rely on. And you'll always have me."

He looked relieved. "Good."

I offered him a smile. "Later James."

"Bye Phoenix."

* * *

My mind was racing as I made my way down to the kitchens. What was going on with Teddy? Could it be something to do with Minister Hastings? Or with the _Ker_?

I let out a loud gasp as I ran straight into someone.

"Oh Merlin!" I yelped, clutching a hand to my head. "I am _so_ sorry!"

I bent down; hand still pressed against my forehead, and picked up the paper that had been sent flying when the collision had happened.

The words ' _Dear Minister Hastings_ ' almost seemed to jump off of the paper at me, and my movements slowed momentarily.

"Give me that!" An all-too-familiar voice snapped. The letter was ripped from my hand, and I whipped my head up to meet the steely-eyed gaze of Julie Vane.

I knew I couldn't let her know that I had seen. "Apologies, Vane," I said icily. "I certainly didn't mean to touch you, or anything of yours."

Vane immediately seemed to forget about the letter. "You bi-"

"Hey, that's enough."

Vane jumped as Jay practically appeared from thin air beside us.

"Hey handsome," I whispered.

Jay turned, a wide grin settling across his face. "Hello lovely."

Behind him, Vane let out a noise of utter disgust before whipping about, storming down the corridor and out of sight.

Jay glanced about, saw the corridor was empty, then took a step closer to me.

"How are you feeling today?" He asked softly. He reached one hand up and brushed his thumb across my face.

"I'm much better today than I was yesterday," I said.

"That's good. You look like you're feeling much better for sure. Maybe a bit tired, but not physically ill anymore," He mused. His hand was still pressed against my cheek, and I leaned against it as I nodded. "I'm glad. So what are you doing now?"

"I'm heading down to the kitchens."

"I'll walk with you."

He dropped his hand off of my face, intertwining our fingers instead. As we strolled along, I let my thoughts wander off again.

Teddy had been normal in our last letter, but I wasn't about to write James off. Maybe I would have, had he told me of his suspicions in his usual loud, blithe manner, but I had to take him seriously when he was so clearly confiding in me. Plus, if other people were beginning to get wind of how truly evil Hastings was, the Auror department would be the first to know.

I suddenly realized that Jay was talking to me.

"What?" I asked, turning, wide-eyed, to stare at him.

"So you don't like swimming?" Jay repeated.

I realized he was trying to make small talk, so I quickly went along with it. It proved to be extremely effective in taking my mind off of everything, and by the time we reached the kitchens, Minister Hastings and his _Ker_ were all but forgotten.

"So Miss Phoenix, what will you be having for breakfast today?" Jay asked, his tone sweet and playful.

"I believe I shall have-" I cut myself off with a sudden laugh as Jay grabbed my arm and spun me around like a dancer.

"Something wrong?" He asked, his tone filled with mock concern, still spinning me about like a top.

"I-" I was laughing so hard I could barely breathe. "Jay, stop I'm _so_ dizzy!"

He grinned, pulling me to an abrupt stop. I was still giggling as I stumbled lightly into him, my balance utterly shot.

"Thank yo-" I was apparently not allowed to finish a sentence, for no sooner had I started speaking did Jay wrap his arm around my back, tipping me backwards into a deep dip. I was deeply embarrassed by the girly squeal I emitted as I flung my arms around his neck, praying he didn't drop me.

"You're welcome!" He said cheerfully.

I shook my head, laughing yet again. "And why are you in such a lovely mood?"

He smiled sweetly, drawing me out of my dip to rest flush against his chest. "I don't know, I just am. I just love you, I guess."

The smile I gave back to him was almost painful. I loved Jay too, I really did, and I knew that my keeping secrets from him would truly hurt him. I hated it, but I also knew that telling him my secrets would cause him a different kind of pain.

I would rather have him alive and refusing to speak to me than dead and unable to.

"I love you too. So much," I told him, standing up on my tiptoes to press a kiss onto his chin. "Now come on, we're being gross."

He let out a bark of laughter, bending down and giving me a proper peck on the lips. "Shorty. Okay, We'll stop being 'gross' now."

The pear giggled and squirmed as Jay tickled it before finally becoming a doorknob. Jay pulled on it, and the door opened to reveal a flurry of busy elves.

"Hello Mr. Jay and Miss Phoenix! How is you being today?" One of my favorite elves, Impy, asked.

"We're wonderful Impy! How are you?" I responded.

"Impy is good!" She said, looking as pleased as ever that I had returned the question. "What is you wanting for breakfast?"

"I'm going to be heading up to the Great Hall in a few minutes, so I'm good. Thanks though," Jay shot her a grin, and I giggled as the little elf blushed.

"May I please have a cup of tea and some strawberries?" I asked.

"Yes! Miss Phoenix can be having anything she likes if she doesn't blow up Impy's kitchen again!"

Impy darted off, leaving me bright red in front of a slightly hysterical Jay.

"Y-you…blew up-" He broke off to choke on his laughter.

"Shut up Wood," I glowered. "It was one time…"

Jay's tanned face was a deep red, the corners of his eyes all crinkled up and his teeth on full display as he cackled, and I was more than a bit irritated that he still looked impossibly good.

"Whatever. Laugh it up; see if I care. Arse."

He struggled to respond for a few moments before he finally gave up. He was laughing so hard that no noise was escaping him, save the occasional gasp for air.

Impy appeared before us suddenly. "Is Miss Phoenix wanting her food in something she can be taking out of the kitchens?" She questioned.

"Yes, please. Thank you Impy."

I rolled my eyes as Jay continued to giggle.

"I can't believe you blew up the kitchens," He finally said.

I pouted. "It was one time! I wanted to learn how to bake a cake…"

Jay snickered. "I'm guessing you had to redo that lesson?"

I sighed. "No, they said no more cakes."

"I'm not surprised. Did they ban you from cooking here, then?"

I shook my head. "No. I tried some weird muffin recipe after that. Had to chop a bunch of stuff and mix it up. They even let me set the oven."

He looked a bit proud. "So you did muffins then?"

I could feel my face getting hot again. "No. I had to use a blender and I…erm…"

Impy appeared out of nowhere, handing me a mug and a bowl of fruit. "Miss Phoenix wasn't knowing that blenders has to have a lid. Muffin bits all over Impy's kitchen…"

I groaned as she darted off, still muttering to herself. "I said I was sorry!" I shouted after her.

Jay was cackling. "Merlin Phoenix, is there anything you can cook?"

"I can make a nice sandwich!" I said defensively.

He was laughing too hard to respond…again.

* * *

I took the least used passageway to the Owlery, in the hopes that I would avoid running into anyone. I was truly exhausted, and I desperately wanted an hour or two alone to try and make sense of all of everything that had happened recently. Unfortunately luck was rarely on my side, and I was only halfway down the corridor when I heard someone calling my name.

"Phoenix."

I turned, trying hard not to show how irritated I was. I was beyond relieved when I realized that it was just Freddy, as I knew that he would be able to see and relate to how exhausted-mentally and physically-I was, and would react accordingly.

"Hey," I said, offering him a weary smile.

He returned the gesture before holding out a hand. "Here, let me carry some of that for you."

I looked between my strawberries and my tea; mentally debating which one I wanted to let him take. Finally I offered up my bowl of fruit, deciding that it would be more polite to sip at my tea while we walked than it would be to stuff my face with berries.

Fred offered me a teasing smile. "Hard decision there Nix?"

I gave him a mock-pout. "Choosing between tea or strawberries? Most certainly!"

He chuckled, gently wrapping his free arm around my shoulders. I slid my arm around his waist, trying not to think about how rough his voice sounded.

Freddy hummed softly as we walked, twirling his fingers around a strand of hair that had fallen from my updo and allowing me to sip my tea in peace. When we reached the Owlery I paused, a bit reluctant to go inside.

"We should sit outside, behind the wall over there where no one will come bug us," Fred suggested.

I nodded, and he was quick to hand me my strawberries so that he could haul himself up over the wall. I then handed him my breakfast, waiting patiently for him to set them down before reaching back over for me. I jumped, trying to help him out as he hauled me up and over the wall.

"Here you are," He said, holding my breakfast out to me as I sat down. I took the proffered items, leaning my head against his shoulder and popping a berry into my mouth.

"Want one?" I asked softly, holding out the bowl.

"Sure."

"You were crying again," I whispered.

"Kind of hard not to," He responded. "I mean. Maybe it's just me, but you're kind of my favorite person in the whole world, which is a terrible thing to say, because I have a twin sister, a mom who loves me, a dad who…yeah, a lovely lady whom I really need to ask to be my girlfriend soon, and lots of amazing friends, but I'm a bit of a selfish arse, and yeah, you're my favorite. And the thing is, this whole deal with the _Ker_ is _so fucking scary_ , because for all of the progress you lot are making in your research, you still have _no bloody clue_ what spell you should use to defeat them. Which means that they're currently invincible, and you, Nix, quite literally have a bloody target on your back. So yeah, I was crying."

I had to blink back tears after his rant. I couldn't even imagine how I would feel if our roles were reversed, and I _hated_ that there was absolutely nothing I could say to make him feel better about this.

"I hate that everything is so goddamn _normal_ ," Fred muttered.

I looked up at him, trying to make my tired face and watery eyes convey curiosity. "Nothing is normal."

But he shook his head, sitting up and tugging at his hair in frustration. "For you nothing is normal. But for everyone else, things are. I mean, yeah people have gone missing and yeah there have been some major attacks. But people are calling them 'random' attacks; they're saying that it's the work of the few remaining Death Eaters and they're convinced that the Ministry is taking care of them as we speak. Even our own family has calmed down a lot! I remember when we were first starting Hogwarts everyone was on edge. Mr. Malfoy showed up at platform 9&3/4 purely to talk about Kingsley going missing! And now your parents are willing to let you go to a different country with Madam Scamander, my parents are willing to move right back into our home in Diagon Alley, and everyone just let Dom go off and do her own thing without so much as a word in protest! I don't understand it! How can everyone be so normal when my life just got completely flipped on its head-when yours has been screwed up since fourth year?"

I sighed. I knew that Fred was going to react like this. Last night he had sobbed and clung to me, and I knew he would have, because when it was just the two of us in the dark, Freddy wasn't afraid to be heartbroken and scared. But now, in the light of day, when the grounds below us and the hall on the other side of the wall behind us were bustling with people, Fred was strong, furious, (terrified), and very, very protective.

"They don't know. And they can't know. If word gets back to Minister Hastings, especially before we find the spell to stop the _Ker_ , then the entire Wizarding World would be in danger," I protested.

He furrowed his eyebrows. "Fine. But I know, and I'm going to do try my damned hardest to keep you safe from those… _things_." He seemed deep in thought for a moment, but then my favorite goofy look spread across his face, and I knew that he was going to lighten up for a bit. "Even if I have to chunk my wand to the side and punch the bastard in the face!"

I rolled my eyes, giggling a bit as he pretended to swing at something before us. We weren't done talking about everything, not by a long shot, but the two of us needed light and silly more than we needed heavy at the moment.

"I need to write letters," I told Fred.

"Me too. I'll do mine while you do yours?" He offered.

I nodded, reaching into my bag and pulling out several rolls of parchment. I sat for a moment, the tip of my quill resting on my tongue as I struggled to think of what I could possibly say to my various family members. It was always so difficult to sound normal when everything in my life was so insane.

I sped through the notes, trying not to completely rush them, but so, so eager to be done. Though we corresponded continuously and very randomly, Dom always made sure to write me the day before I was due to write letters. The first time she did it, she had written ' _do not open until you've written all of your other letters_ ' long the envelope's opening. Inside the letter she had written ' _I know that writing letters to all of our various family members can be tedious. There are so many other things you could be doing, but instead you've spent half the morning re-writing the same experiences over and over again for various aunts and uncles. So hats off to you-how about hearing one of my adventures now? And here's one of the local sweets for you as well! Think of it as a reward, or motivation the next time we do it…I know, I know, I'm totally amazing : )_ '.

I had laughed for ages over how I could practically _hear_ her speaking through the letter, but she was completely right: her letters were the best motivation. Per usual, I was completely buzzing as I ripped open the envelope. She and Mick had recently begun dating (officially, they had clearly been crushing hard since they met) and I knew Dom would have something to say about it.

 _Annie,_

 _Mick says hello, first off. He keeps swearing up and down that you're his favorite of all of my family members, even though he doesn't actually know you-or any of our other family members. I think he's a right-_

Then there was a long line of ink across the page, just the slightest bit smeared and very straight. I began to laugh as I glanced to the next bit of writing and found the now-familiar messy scrawl of Mick.

 _I think I'll take it from here! Merlin, your cousin is_ _RUDE_ _! I keep telling her that you and I are the best of friends, but for some odd reason she doesn't believe me. I would like very much to meet you in person though. You and Lou are all Dom ever talks about, and I'd like to meet the one person who's provided her with unconditional support and love throughout her journey of "finding herself". (More like finding me! Yeah, I like the sounds of that!) Okay, well I can only hold Dominique off for so long. She fights dirty (she has got to clip those finger nails of hers) and I'm pretty sure she just licked my hand. Bye Phoenix! Love you lots and lots, you're my bestest friend in the whole wide wo-_

The last word was smeared, yet again, and I giggled as the handwriting changed back to Dom's neat lettering.

 _A thousand apologies for that. Idiot. He's lucky he's a cute idiot. A charming, smart, funny, and perfect idiot._

 _So anyways, I'm now officially in Mexico! I really like it here; the culture is completely fascinating. I'm trying to learn as much about the culture of each place we go to, because each place is so different and interesting. I'm trying to learn a bit of the language too, though that's harder because we move around so much! But I can say 'Hola, me llamo Dom'. I'm very proud._

 _Mick is very, very adamant about me going to meet his family in Ireland. Honestly, we talked about that being our next country to visit, but we were so close to Mexico that we decided to just pop across the border and spend awhile here instead. But he wants to go there soon; I'm actually thinking that he's going to try and get me to go for Christmas. I'm_ _really_ _nervous Phoenix. I like Mick A LOT, and I'm terrified that his family will meet me and decide that they hate me. I don't normally overthink these things, but I'm completely panicked right now. Help?_

 _So how are things going for you? I heard you won your last Quidditch match-congratulations! Did you get those new plays figured out? How are your classes going?_

 _Victoire wrote me a few days ago. It was short, but she told me that she thinking of me, and that she missed having me around. It really made me happy; I can't tell you how much it meant to me. But Phoenix, here's the thing-Vic's pregnant. I'm not supposed to tell anyone, but how can I not tell you? I'm so confused. She wrote me a letter to tell me that she missed me, was thinking of me, and to let me in a secret of hers. I know she forgave me last time we spoke, but I didn't think we were even close to being on "good terms". What does it all mean?_

 _Merlin. I never thought I would understand my own sister so little._

 _I'm sorry this letter is all about my problems, but I don't have anyone else I can turn to. This is all harder than I thought it would be, but I don't regret leaving. I think this is good for me. I just wish I could have taken you with me._

 _The sweet included is a bit spicy, so be careful. It's a mango-flavored lolly covered in chili powder. I think they're really great, so hopefully you like it! I also threw in a few magical chocolates. The labels are in Spanish, so have fun figuring out what they do! : )_

 _The charm is, in my opinion, the best one I've sent you yet. It's a sugar skull (don't try to eat it, it's heavily enchanted to never go bad, never fall apart, never break or chip… so basically, I'm not even sure you could call it sugar anymore), which is an important symbol for a holiday called Dia De Los Muertos (Day of The Dead). It took place November 1_ _st_ _/2nd, but a shopkeeper we met taught Mick and I all about it. I picked out a teeny sugar skull as a charm for you because sugar skulls symbolize death and rebirth-which made me think of a phoenix. Plus it's very pretty._

 _Love you so much. You're my best friend._

 _Dom Xx (and Mick)_

I admired the pretty little charm, enjoying the way the sugar looked. I caught Fred stealing glances at it, so I held it up to let him see.

"It's pretty," He complimented.

"Dom sent it," I told him. He nodded, looking over it again before letting his gaze drift back to his own letters.

I took a moment to breathe a sigh of relief. With all of the constant terrible and scary things happening in my life, hearing that Teddy and Vic were expecting made me want to cry with happiness. Not only because a baby would be something that would make everything a little brighter (and make me an aunt!) but because now I had a plausible explanation for James's concerns. Not that I would be telling him, of course (if I knew Teddy, he wouldn't be able to wait past Christmas, so James wouldn't have to worry for much longer), but it made me relieved to know that Teddy hadn't gotten mixed up in the same things that I had.

 _Dom,_

 _You two are adorable._

 _Mexico?! How cool! I've read a bit about some plants and animals from Mexico, but I've never actually heard much of their culture. What's it like? And wow, that's more Spanish than I can speak, so congratulations! Is it hot in Mexico?_

 _Dominique. They're going to love you. Stop stressing so much. You're cool and down to earth, and you care about Mick a lot. I honestly don't know that there's much more that they could ask for than that, so all of your additional characteristics will just be fantastic bonuses. : ) Really though, you're going to be just fine. Just be yourself, remember your manners, and enjoy it._

 _So…I guess you're not coming home for Christmas then? Or will you be planning on going to Ireland and coming back here? I suppose that would make more sense, you can just floo or Apparate!_

 _Things are good here. I was sick yesterday, but it was just a bug. I took a Pepper-Up potion and I'm feeling great today! And yes! We won our last match by nearly 200 points; it was so amazing! I got the plays figured out just in time, and they really helped us with the game. Jay's having me come up with some more now, but this time he wants me to figure out something that helps the Beaters and the Seeker. It's going to complicated, but I'm really excited to get started. It's nice to have something like that to work on when I'm stressed out._

 _My classes are really tiring right now. The teachers are really coming down hard on us this year, as we have our OWLs. And Flitwick is already in full NEWT mode, though we don't take the exam until next year. Honestly I'm really excited to be done with NEWTs in that class, because I know he's got something really incredible planned for my final year. I can't wait. Also, I've been thinking about asking him to teach me how to create a Patronus. I know it's very, very advanced magic, and I'm really busy, but I want to learn so badly. We'll see what he has to say, I suppose._

 _Vic writing to you is a really good sign Dom! She's telling you her secrets, which means she still trusts you. And you have to remember that you are her sister. I don't think I could ever cut Lily completely out of my life. I would miss her every single day. She's probably feeling the same way, especially since we all know you would never intentionally hurt her. So Vic's pregnant? That's great for her and Ted, though I'm a bit offended that you've been told when I haven't! Teddy's rude…_

 _Don't ever apologize for telling me about your problems. I don't mind in the slightest. I wish I could have gone with you too. I would love to get out of here, even if it's just for a little while._

 _The sweets look so great! I can't wait to try them. I'm sending you some Fizzing Whizbees; I figured you'd appreciate something from home._

 _The charm is absolutely gorgeous, and the meaning makes it even more special. I really love all of my charms, thank you so much Dom._

 _Love you lots. I miss you like crazy!_

 _Annie_

Then I grabbed a second piece of parchment, writing a much shorter note.

 _Hello to my bestest friend! I would LOVE to meet you as well! Dominique can be a bit of a handful, but if you make sure to feed her three times a day and give her cuddles each night, you should be okay! Thank you so much for taking such good care of her. I can't even describe to you how much peace of mind it gives me to know that she's no longer travelling all alone._

 _-Phoenix Xx_

I pulled the little bag of Fizzing Whizbees from my bag, carefully sliding them into the envelope along with the letters before sealing it up. I set it aside with all of the other letters before picking up the chocolates she had sent me.

"Freddy, want to try one of these with me?" I asked. I held up one that read " _la lluvia_ " and one that read " _el fuego_ ".

"Sure, what are they?" He asked, reaching for the lluvia one.

"I'm not sure, some sort of chocolate. Dom sent them from Mexico," I shrugged.

Freddy raised his eyebrows, looking faintly impressed, before unwrapping the sweet. I quickly did the same, and we both paused for a moment, slightly dubious of the little candies, which were throwing tiny sparks all over the place.

Finally Fred said, "Count us down?"

I nodded. "Three…two…one!"

We both popped the chocolates in our mouths. Instantly mine began melting in my mouth. The chocolate was very strong, but completely delicious. I glanced up at Freddy to ask him how his was and immediately choked.

Fred was sitting under a tiny rain cloud, soaking wet and looking a bit miserable.

I let out a loud laugh, which immediately turned to a shriek as a burst of fire flew from my mouth. I didn't feel any burning or heat, but when I touched my fingers to my lips and pulled them away to examine them I found them covered in ash.

Fred began laughing hysterically, and I couldn't help but join in. Luckily my fire appeared to be completely harmless, and the effects faded away after about five minutes.

"That was crazy!" Fred yelled. He quickly took the remaining candies from me, looking at the labels with curiosity. "El viento, la nieve, el sol, el hielo…what are these things?"

"I don't really know, Dom just said to have fun trying them. We can try some more later if you'd like," I offered.

"Hell yeah I want to try the rest with you," He said, "They taste amazing."

I giggled. "I thought so too. Now, do you want to go mail our letters?"

He nodded, handing the sweets back to me, and we both carefully climbed over the wall and back into the Owlery. It took a lot of sweet-talking, but I finally convinced a plethora of owls to carry my letters for me and we were able to leave.

Back in the hallways I turned to look at Freddy.

"Would it be particularly cruel of us to go and hide out in the library until dinner?"

He thought it over for a moment before responding. "No, I think it should be okay. You saw someone this morning, right?"

I nodded. "I saw James and Jay before I came down this way."

"Then we can probably get away with lying low. Lily may worry though."

"Shite. I forgot about telling her everything. Do you think we should track her down now, or can we wait until later?" I sighed. "I just want to sit and read."

Freddy frowned. "I think if you just shoot her a quick message, we should be okay."

"Okay," I said. I quickly touched my little bracelet, sending a short note to Lily letting her know that I was all right and would talk to her soon. I thought about sending another off to everyone, but I knew that doing so would be an invitation for some of them to come track me down, which was the last thing I wanted.

Freddy and I took a quick detour via secret passages to drop off my dishes with the house elves. Impy insisted that we let her bring us lunch in a few hours, and we finally relented after she threatened to hex us. I made her promise to bring us soup and Freddy convinced her to help us hide it from Madam Pince when the time came, and then we were off to the library.

When we got there I turned and walked all the way to the back of the library, setting down my bag and claiming our table. I left my bag sitting in a chair without fear of anyone going through my stuff, as my bag was hexed.

"What are you looking for?" Fred asked me after a few moments. I glanced over to see that he clutched several books on dragons in his hands.

"I'm trying to find out some information on this Egyptian princess we heard about in…I mean, I'm trying to find out some information about Nebetia, the Egyptian princess and Headmistress I told you about last night," I breathed. I bit my lip as he awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck.

"It's kind of a habit for you now, isn't it?" He muttered.

I let my eyes drift downward, staring awkwardly at my feet. "I can't help it. I have to be good at lying on the spot if I'm going to keep it all a secret."

He let out a sigh. I kept my gaze on the ground as I waited for him to respond. Finally I saw his feet come into view, then his arms wrapped around my shoulders.

"I get it," He whispered. "I'm proud of you for keeping all of us safe Nix."

"Freddy?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

"I love you too."

* * *

I casually ignored the worried stares coming from various family members as Fred and I entered the Great Hall for dinner. I had found that there was surprisingly little information written on Nebetia in the library, so I would have to have McGonagall write me a note for the Restricted Section later. Fred had found a book that he had really, really loved, but Madam Pince hadn't let him take it from the library because it was fragile. I made a mental note to get him a copy of the book for Christmas.

"Hey you lot," I said as we sat down at the table. "Oh, Al is that a curry next to you? Pass me that please!"

Al rolled his eyes, handing me the pot without comment. Roxy, however, was not so easily deterred.

"Really? You're sick all day yesterday, you get called away by McGonagall before dinner, and you don't show back up until now and the only thing you've got for us is 'pass the curry'?" She snapped.

I sighed. "I'm really sorry. I just needed a quiet day today. McGonagall called me into her office because Minister Hastings wanted to talk about some stupid internship thing that will probably be all over the papers in a few days. I came back late and decided that I wanted to sleep in Fred's bed. I still didn't feel awesome, but I wanted to sleep it off. Then in the morning James came and got me out of bed to bug me about our favorite Ravenclaw. I couldn't fall back asleep afterwards, so I went up and wrote all of my letters. Then I went and spent some time in the library. Oh, and I also got breakfast this morning. That's about it."

I noticed James giving me a grateful look. I knew he wouldn't want me to tell everyone that he was worried about Teddy.

Roxy, meanwhile, looked slightly less upset. "Just don't worry us all again like that, okay?"

I nodded, trying to look contrite. It clearly worked, as Roxy's face immediately softened.

"Sorry," I whispered. And I truly was so, so sorry that I constantly had to lie to them. It broke my heart and made me feel sick to my stomach.

Jay gave me a gentle nudge, picking up his fork and sticking it into my curry as quickly as he could.

"Hey!" I whinged, drawing out the 'y' as I watched him swallow the stolen bite.

"Hey babe," He responded. I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Watch it," I growled.

Jay just grinned at me, wrapping his arm around my shoulder and pressing a kiss against my forehead.

Across the table Arny rolled his eyes at us. "You two make me sick."

* * *

Fred and I decided to take Lily to the Room of Requirement.

"You guys. We can't get in here. It doesn't work anymore," She told us impatiently. We ignored her as we discussed what kind of room we wanted.

"I want to see if it can come up with the books I was looking for," I told him.

"Sure, we can do that. But I want a nice chair and a fireplace. I'm pretty sure this is going to be ages, and I want to be comfortable," Freddy replied.

Lily let out a loud groan from behind us. "Seriously, this room _doesn't work_. We've tried it before, it just says out of order."

"That, little sister, is because you lot have no imagination," I said as I began to pace.

"I-" Lily started to object, but Fred cut her off.

"What Nix means to say is that you've got to think bigger. If you're just thinking of seeing whether the room is working or not based off of the stories the parents told-"

"-then you'll be thinking of the room that they burnt down. Which, you are right, does say out of order. Fortunately for us, the other rooms it creates are in perfect shape!" I finished, grinning proudly at the look of awe on Lil's face as a shimmering door blurred into existence.

"Whoa," She whispered, reaching out to touch the silver handle. I nodded at her, and she practically bounced in place as the door swung open.

"Nice touch with the fancy door," Fred muttered into my ear, pulling said door open wide for me as he spoke. "I didn't know you could do that."

I shot him a smirk as a strolled through the entrance. "Neither did I."

* * *

Lily took the news like I had expected her too. She furrowed her eyebrows with concern at the conversation with Minister Hastings, then grew incredibly excited when I told her about Nebetia.

"Okay, Hastings is scary but Nebetia could be _so_ helpful Phoe! If she can help us find the spell to defeat them, we could end this whole thing for good!"

"Whoa, hey now," I said worriedly.

Fred, per usual, was on the same page. "There is no 'we'. You can help us look, but you're not going to be fighting anything."

Luckily, Lily didn't seem fazed. "Oh, that's what I meant. I think I'd rather help the healers, if it comes down to that. It would be really good practice, and I know I could actually be useful."

I nodded. "That sounds good. Hopefully we won't need any healers, but if we do I'm sure you and Alice could help them out. So I asked the room to give us any books that mentioned Nebetia that it could, but I also asked it for as many books on healing that it could give. And from the looks of things it did just that."

We all took a moment to gaze at the rows and rows of bookshelves that spanned down the length of the room. I was relieved that I had remembered to ask the room to label the shelves, for I probably would have cried if I had had to sort through endless healing books to find the books that I wanted.

Freddy stood, heading towards the nearest shelf that was labeled _NEBETIA_. "We'd best get started, don't you think?"

Lily and I both stood and quickly followed his lead.

It was going to be a long night.

* * *

"Lily!" I gasped suddenly one night, turning to look at my sister with pure horror written out across my face.

"What?" She asked frantically. "What's wrong?"

"You can't date Lysander!" I told her, clawing at her arm. Her face was twisted with fear and confusion…and I almost felt bad.

"Why not?"

"He's…he's your _godbrother_!" I wailed. I ignored the pillow that smacked me in the side of the head as I waited for her reaction.

She pouted at me. "I hate you. I thought you had actually found something!"

We had been spending every bit of spare time (within reason, we knew we couldn't just completely disappear all of the time) researching in the Room of Requirement. We had found loads of useful information on Nebetia, as well as some great information on Egyptian magic. I knew Minnie had raided the room for books after the attack had first happened, but she hadn't had time to go through every book in the place, so we were still making great discoveries.

"I'm so bored," Fred complained. "I'm glad that we're helping and all, but this is killing me."

"Me too!" Lily agreed.

"Is this really what you've been doing in your free time Nix?" He asked me.

"Yeah," I nodded. "It gets more bearable after a while. You figure out how to skim for useful information and you can just sort of let your mind wander. But you're right, this is boring and we've been working hard. So I propose a prank."

Both looked at me with growing smiles as I slammed my book shut and set it down on the table. The smiles became grins as I winked, standing up off of the couch and slinging my bag over my shoulder. I could hear the two scrambling to follow me as I exited the room.

* * *

I stood in the shadows just beyond the entrance of the Great Hall with a broad smile on my face.

Every inch of the hall was covered in glitter. It decorated the tables, the benches, and even the ceiling. A steady stream of glitter also fell from the skies, sticking to anything that wasn't already covered but disappearing from everything that was in order to avoid a total pile-up. The floors had been transfigured into a gelatinous material that required anyone trying to walk to their tables to bounce. We had also enlisted the house elves, convincing them to charm all of the food bright, crazy colors.

Freddy walked up beside me, slinging an arm around my shoulder. "We done good," He said proudly.

Most of the school was already seated when we walked in. Immediately, most of the school jumped to their feet, slapping their hands together with applause. Fred and I played along happily, with him bowing deeply as I curtsied, then I bowed while he curtsied, which got a huge laugh from the other students.

"Detention!" Minnie called out lazily from the staff table. We both grinned, holding our hands up in acknowledgement as we made our way towards our table.

"Feel free to thank our protégées as well!" I yelled cheerfully.

From the corner of my eye I saw McGonagall choke on her drink. "Your what?" She shouted.

The rest of the hall was positively cackling as I turned around, giving her a wink.

"You two are so very bad," Lana giggled as we reached the table.

"You know it hot stuff," Fred flirted. He suddenly pulled a bundle of red roses out of his jacket. "Oh, by the way. You're lovely, sweet, funny, clever, and just all around perfect. Be my girlfriend?"

I beamed as Lana turned scarlet. "Um…of course."

I let out a shout of laughter as the rest of the table went up in cheers. I jumped about 20 feet in the air as a huge chortle of laughter suddenly echoed from just behind my shoulder.

"Good show you two!" Slughorn bellowed. "I hope you two don't mind serving your detention with me, I could use the extra sets of hands while setting up for my Christmas party tonight! I'll be sure to give you plenty of time to get ready though, of course!"

I gave him a sweet smile. "Of course. We'd love to help you out! We've been looking forward to the party for ages!"

He beamed at me. "Well dear girl, I would love to see you and your cousin down in my room within the hour! Got to make sure everything gets set up properly before I have to let you go."

I felt Fred's hand on my shoulder and I knew that he was grinning at Slughorn over my head. "We'll be there in half an hour!"

Slughorn chortled yet again, offering a comment about how 'cheeky' we were before walking away.

"Alright. What are you two up to?" Nikki asked suspiciously.

"Nothing!" We chorused cheerfully. As we sat down I felt Fred lean forward to speak into my ear.

"What are we up to?" He whispered.

I grinned at our wary family members before mumbling in Freddy's ear. "What do you want to bet Slughorn taught a young Minister Hastings in school?"

* * *

We decided to wait until the party to question Slughorn. We wanted him to be in as good of spirits as possible, and we knew that the large amounts of alcohol that he consumed at his parties would work well in our favor, so we spent our entire "detention" buttering him up in any way possible.

"Phoenix, would you mind helping me pick out something to drape over the room?" Slughorn called to me. I quickly set down the dishes I had been laying out and moved to stand next to him.

I didn't understand how he managed to get permission to invite so many people into the castle for his events. Both during the party itself and while he was setting up, there was always a constant stream of strangers filing into the room.

"We have these three to choose from!" Slughorn said, gesturing to the linens sitting before us. The man who had brought them in shifted them a bit closer to me.

I examined them carefully, though the differences between them were very subtle. Finally I selected the one that looked the best to me.

"This one," I said confidently.

"Exactly what I was thinking!" He responded boisterously. I withheld a tiny sigh of relief as I realized I had selected correctly.

I turned to look at Fred, keeping my face cheerful but telling an entirely different story with my eyes. I struggled to contain a giggle as I gazed upon his response.

"Phoenix my girl! What do you think of these cups?" Slughorn's voice had me quickly turning back around to gaze at the goblets.

"They're lovely!"

And so it continued.

* * *

"Wow. You look stunning," Jay whispered.

"Thank you handsome," I smiled sweetly, fixing his tie as I spoke. He wore a charcoal gray suit and a jade green tie that matched my dress perfectly. "You look amazing."

"I love it when you wear your hair down," He said, carefully threading his fingers through my curls.

I leaned my head lightly into his palm. "I love _you_."

He grinned, leaning his forehead against mine and pressing a gentle kiss against my lips. "I love you too. Lovely."

Freddy and Lana looked absolutely amazing together. Most of the students looked shocked at Fred's suit, for it was as regal as could be, the exact opposite of anything his father would ever wear. Lana was dressed in a beautiful silver gown, and her hair had been done up by Roxy to perfection. I felt a bit guilty at all of the envious looks sent our way by the students who weren't invited to Slughorn's event, but I felt a little bit better knowing how boring the parties tended to be.

The walk to the dungeons was silent, save for the clacking of high heels on the stone floors. I secretly loved the sound, for I found it extremely soothing.

"We should only stay for part of tonight," Jay breathed into my ear. His fingers were twined with mine and I clutched his arm with my other hand. "Then I'll 'get sick' and we can sneak down to the kitchens and have hot chocolate."

"That sounds amazing," I admitted. I normally would insist we only leave when I felt it polite, but I was itching to be alone again. Being around people constantly was getting to be a bit much. "But I have to-"

"I know you have something planned for tonight. Just let me know when you get it taken care of and we can leave afterwards," Jay interrupted.

I pressed a little kiss against his shoulder, leaving my mouth there and mumbling into his jacket as I spoke. "You're the best."

He winked at me. "I know babe."

* * *

Jay didn't question when Freddy and I stole off during the party. I knew he probably thought we were just planning another prank, so it didn't surprise me in the slightest when I turned around to see him dancing with Roxy a few moments later.

I knew Fred and I had made the right decision in waiting until the party to question Slughorn when I caught a glimpse of his rosy cheeks and jovial smile.

"Phoenix, Fred! Come here for a moment, there's someone I'd like you to meet," He beckoned us forward to meet a rather pristine looking man.

"Hello sir," I said, offering him my prettiest smile. I wasn't sure that the man would be anyone I would ever talk to again, but I knew that I wanted to impress Slughorn with my social skills.

"Hello," Freddy echoed just as politely.

"Miss Potter, Mister Weasley! Such a pleasure to meet you two! My name is…"

I spaced out after a while, only paying enough attention to give the man the answers he was looking for. He was the author of a series that I had found completely biased and very poorly written, so I had no interest in getting to know him. Finally Slughorn seemed to grow tired of the man, dismissing him with ease and, thankfully, choosing to give Fred and I his attention next.

"And how have you two been enjoying the party?" He asked.

"It's lovely!" I dimpled at him. A man brought drinks around, and we all accepted a glass of champagne.

"Best party I've been to all year," Fred agreed cheekily. I giggled while Slughorn let out a booming laugh.

"I'm so glad to hear it! Thank you very much for your help setting up today!"

"You're welcome!" We chorused, choosing to ignore the fact that we had only helped because of our detention.

"I do enjoy having you two at my parties. It will be very good for you to make connections, you see?" He asked, giving us a wink.

"It's so wonderful to come and meet so many of your friends," I responded sweetly. He offered me a huge grin in response.

"Sir, what is it like to be good friends with such significant people?" Freddy asked him.

"Well, it's quite useful when I wish to go see a Quidditch match, see?" He chortled. We both laughed along with him.

"What about in the Ministry?" I asked, carefully arranging my face into what I hoped was a doe-eyed, innocent look. "You know Dad, obviously, and Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione. But that's not it, surely?"

"Oh no, dear girl. That's not it at all! I know the head Unspeakable, I know the Press Department, I know-oh, dear girl I know the Minister himself! I taught him when he was just a lad, see? Little Adonis Hastings, he was always such a quiet boy. Very good at potions, but never one to show off. He was, if I remember correctly, very interested in Ancient Runes. He also had a real knack for History of Magic. I believe he was one of the best students that Professor Binns has taught in a long time! And he was always begging for passes to the Restricted Section. Normally I'm very cautious with who I give them out to, of course, but the boy only ever wanted to read about ancient Greece."

"Ancient Greece?" I cut in carefully.

"Yes yes. I believe he had a bit of an Egyptian interest for a little while, but ancient Greece was his real passion!" Slughorn declared confidently. "Oh, would you look at that? Ryland was able to make it after all! Ryland, dear lad!"

Fred and I struggled to keep our faces carefully composed as he walked away.

"Greece?" Freddy mouthed, whipping around to face me as he did so.

"Well," I breathed, "The incantations are Greek. We knew that much."

"But everything was originally from Egypt," He protested.

I frowned, letting my eyes wander around the room, taking a small sip from the drink in my hand as I did so. They drifted onto a sculpture, something from a muggle novel that Aunt Hermione had loaned me once. I paused, staring at the little statue. I remembered how fascinated I had been with the book, and how delighted Aunt Hermione had been. So delighted, in fact, that she created a mock research project for me over some of the things in the book. It had been before my years at Hogwarts, so I had eagerly accepted the challenge, reading muggle novel after muggle novel, and even a few magical books that spoke on the subject…

I choked on my drink and immediately clapped my hand over my mouth, trying desperately to keep from spitting champagne everywhere as my mind raced.

"Nix, you okay?" Freddy asked worriedly, patting me gently on the back and taking my glass from me.

I sucked in a shaky breath, struggling to respond as my thoughts ran rampant. "I…Illi…Fred I think I know why he's doing it, or at least why he started his research…"

He was looking at me like I was a bloody lunatic, and I wasn't entirely certain that he was wrong. I was beginning to see how certain aspects of Minister Hasting's actions came together, but there were still so many holes in my theory. I needed to find a magical book that I had read once, for I had a nagging feeling that finding the book would make things come together in unexpected ways.

"Let's go back to the group," I suggested. I waited until he had taken my arm and begun leading me back to our friends and families before I leant up to his ear and whispered, "I'll explain everything later."

I couldn't help but grin as I reached Jay. Despite everything I was thinking about, my boyfriend still brought the biggest smile to my face.

"Hey babe," He said, wrapping his arms around my shoulders and pressing his forehead against mine. His next words were spoken so softly that I could just barely make them out. "You finished?"

I nodded, letting him pull away and make excuses for our departure before we began to make our way towards the exit. I made sure to be extra flattering to Slughorn as Jay did an excellent job of looking pathetically ill.

As soon as we got a safe distance away Jay let out a little laugh, grabbing my hand and spinning me around. "Freedom baby!"

I giggled, reaching up to loosen his tie. He responded by scooping me up and yanking off my high heels as we walked.

"I love you Jaybird," I told him.

"I love you too Phoenix."

I spent the rest of the night with Jay, finally falling asleep on the sofa in the Common Room after a very, very extended game of chess (cheater).

I sprinted to McGonagall's office first thing the next morning.

* * *

"Phoenix!" Roxy screamed. "Where do you think you're going? The train leaves in half an hour, we have to make sure we have everything before we leave!"

I chuckled as she punctuated her statement by waving a hairbrush and a tee shirt through the air.

"Rox, I packed ages ago. We're only going home for the break, it's not like we're moving out," I told her patiently. She had always had a bad habit of stressing out just before we left.

She pouted. "I know. But what if I forget something important?"

"Well, my little Mandrake, in case you have forgotten that we happen to come from a _very_ large family…we have about a thousand cousins Roxy, I'm pretty sure you'll be just fine. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have places to be, people to see, and packing to…oh wait, no. I've already finished that!"

She groaned, throwing her brush at me as I darted out the door. "Bint!" She yelled playfully. I let out a loud laugh as I heard the brush slamming into the wall behind me.

"Phoe, where are you headed to?" Al hollered as I rushed through the Common Room.

"Kitchens!" I called back. "Hey Scorp, Rosie!"

I grinned at the in-sync response I received, followed by a loud 'ow!' from Scorpius and a 'don't _do_ that!' from Rosie.

The walk down to the kitchens was surprisingly busy as students ran all over the school, trying to say goodbye to friends from other houses and deliver last minute gifts that they didn't want to deliver by owl.

The kitchens were unusually still, as the elves would be serving far fewer students as soon as the train departed.

"Miss Phoenix!" I heard a voice from down by my knees.

"Hello Impy!" I grinned. "I've brought you something!"

Her eyes grew very wide. "You is bringing Impy something?"

"I sure am!" I held out a neatly wrapped gift, then looked around guiltily, hoping that none of the other elves had seen. Fortunately they all seemed preoccupied.

Impy looked at me for a moment, then, at my nod, carefully ran her hand under the wrapping paper. She opened the present very slowly, but when the paper finally fell away to reveal a lovely new pair of whisks and measuring cups, her arms flew around my waist faster than I could comprehend.

"Thank you Miss Phoenix! You is being too kind to Impy, much to kind."

It took me several minutes to reassure the tearful house elf, but her reaction was completely worth the sprint I had to make in order to haul my stuff to the train station.

* * *

"Oh Merlin no."

Platform 9&3/4 was _swarmed_ with reporters. The usual questions and insults were being thrown about, but the only thing I could focus on were the overwhelming amount of journalist who surrounded me screaming about Minister Hastings and the Ministry.

"Phoenix, is it true you turned down the opportunity to be the first intern at the Ministry?"

"Phoenix, do you have something against the Ministry?"

"Miss Potter, is it true that you turned down the internship because you're having an affair with a ministry worker?"

I was so bewildered and harassed by the time that we left the station that I was rather close to tears.

"Phoe, you okay?" Mom asked me.

I shrugged, trying not to let everyone see my glassy eyes. I was so stressed out, and I was trying really hard to be cheerful for the holidays, but it was so hard.

I could tell that Jay didn't want to leave by the way he was shuffling his feet about.

"I'm okay," I whispered to him. I knew he had to go home.

"Are you sure?" He asked.

"I'm sure," I confirmed. He kissed me lightly on the head and I tried not to groan as a sea of flashes alerted us to the reporters' presence.

"They don't bloody give up, do they?" Fred growled, waiting until Jay moved away (and nodding at him in goodbye) before flinging an arm around my shoulders, lest we get any disgusting articles about the two of us being "more than cousins".

When we got to the Burrow, the others were more than willing to let me wander off on my own. I took a few moments to calm down before going to speak to Aunt Hermione.

"Hello Phoenix. Are you all right?" She asked me.

"I'm fine. I was actually just planning on going off to read for a bit, and I was wondering if you had a book that you had loaned me a few years ago? It was one that I read while doing that research project you gave me, the one that you told me I needed to be very careful with, as the binding was fragile."

I watched as her face fell a bit. "Oh Phoenix, I really wish I could loan you that book, but I no longer have a copy. The book was really old, and only a few copies were ever written. I loaned it to an Unspeakable a few years ago and they came back to tell me that it had completely fallen apart. They felt so badly too, but it had been in such horrid shape that I couldn't even get upset with them."

"Oh, that's alright," I told her. "I was just thinking about it the other day and wanted to reread it. Thank you though."

She tried to make it up to me by offering me several books over the same subject. I took the books to appease her, but I already knew that they wouldn't help in the same way that the other manuscript would have.

Finally she offered to keep her eyes peeled for another copy of the book and wrote down the title for me.

 _Thanatos_.

* * *

It was a few days after we had gotten home when I received the owl, and for the first time in my life I found myself wishing I hadn't been delivered a letter from Dom.

 _I'm not coming home for Christmas. I'm so sorry._

I wasn't sure how I wanted to respond, but I sent the owl back with ' _It's okay. I understand_ '.

I didn't.

* * *

A few nights before Christmas I found myself flooing to the Wood's house for dinner. After the meal, they invited me to come sit in the living room, telling me I could stay as late as I'd like.

I was thoroughly enjoying myself, though I was certain the eggnog that I had been sipping all night (apparently Oliver liked it with a good deal of rum, so Alicia told me to just take little drinks) was helping with that. I kept trying to get Jay to dance with me, for his parents had turned on some upbeat music and I was itching to get up and move around.

Jay, however, was rather distracted. Every year Oliver made sure to tell us how much he _loved_ our house at Christmas time. At first we thought it was just because of our decorations, but then we realized that he was purposely walking Alicia under the mistletoe that grew all over our ceiling…repeatedly. It was extremely adorable, for each time he did it he would get a massive, goofy grin on his face before he would lean in, kiss Alicia all over her face, then peck her on the lips. Apparently he had liked it so much that he had decided to hang mistletoe all over their house, and he put it to use any chance he got.

"Dad!" Jay whinged. I grinned as Oliver pulled away from Alicia, looking guilty.

"What?" He asked, trying and failing to appear innocent.

Jay rolled his eyes. "That's gross Dad. Save it for when you two are alone please!"

I opened my mouth to object, for it truly was charming, but Oliver beat me to it.

"But…but…" He gave Jay the biggest puppy eyes I had ever seen, and I knew that the eggnog had completely gone to his head. "But Jay… _Oliver_."

"Oh!" Alicia cried. "Oliver, I love her! I _get_ it!"

She and Oliver immediately began to laugh hysterically. Jay groaned, turning and burying his head in my hair.

"I don't know them," He mumbled.

"Jay baby!" His Mum sang. "Do you remember when you were three and you tried on all of my bras? You cried so hard when we made you take them off!"

"Oh Merlin." Jay pressed his face even harder into my hair, the tips of his ears going completely scarlet. "That's it. I'm moving to Greenland and changing my name to Barry."

I giggled. "Okay Barry. Well, before you go, I have plenty of bras that you're welcome to try on, if you'd like. I've even got this lovely mint one that would go _so_ well with your skin tone!"

"Okay. Phoenix, I love you, but I'd really rather not talk about your bras right now."

I pouted at him. "But I didn't get to tell you about the yellow one! It's the color of sunshine!"

He lifted his head slightly, hazel eyes boring into mine. I giggled again, leaning forward and pressing my forehead against his.

"Merlin. You're such a lightweight," He groaned.

"Dance with me," I whinged.

I laughed delightedly as he finally decided to indulge me, grabbing my hand before spinning me around and around.

* * *

"James? What the bloody hell are you doing?" I cried incredulously.

James didn't even look away from the owl as he continued to try and tie the gigantic package to the bird's leg. "I'm trying to get this owl to deliver my mail!" He snipped.

"Well it can't exactly do that when the package is as big as it and appears to be twice as heavy!" I snapped back. I walked forward, taking the package from him and pulling out my wand. "James, your wrapping job is shoddy."

He groaned, sinking back into the bed and placing his head into his hands. "I tried everything! I even tried a spell that swore it would do it for me, but nothing can wrap that bloody gift neatly!"

I rolled my eyes, carefully removing the paper as I spoke, "Well you probably ought to ask for help next time."

"I don't have to ask for help, I can take care of it perfectly fine on my-NO!" James yelled as he lifted his head from his hands just in time to see the paper fall away from the present.

"James…" I gaped. "What…what is this?"

My brother went beet red as I held up the top-of-the-line camera for him to see.

"James, this thing costs more than a bloody broomstick, what is it doing in your room?" I asked nervously.

"I-oh don't look at me like that, I didn't steal it! I've just been saving up all of my Hogsmeade money, my birthday money, and I've sold a few things…" He trailed off.

"James," I said warningly. "This had better not be for Coleen."

"So what if it is?" He exclaimed defensively.

"James, you can't buy your way into a girl's favor!" I berated him. "And especially not _that_ girl's favor! She's Coleen Creevey, she won't let you buy her gifts in order to try and make her go out with you!"

"That's not why I did it," He objected. "I did it because I saw her gazing at it in a magazine a few months ago, and she looked like she had just seen the most amazing thing in the entire world. She looked like she would do anything to have it, but she also seemed completely resigned to the fact that she would never have it. I wanted to change that. I just want her to have it Phoenix. I don't care what that makes her think of me."

I looked at my brother in silence for a moment.

"Well…in that case, this paper is ugly," I waved my arm, charming the paper into something much nicer. "Now let me wrap this for you, then we'll shrink it down and tie it to the owl. There are some cards in my room, the second drawer in my desk, go get one and sign it."

James hustled out of the room, coming back just as I finished wrapping the gift. I instructed him to write the counter charm for the Shrinking spell on the envelope before I tied it neatly to the bird and we sent it off.

We stood in silence for a few minutes as we watched the bird fly away.

"Remind me to teach you how to wrap gifts later," I told him.

"Thank you," He responded softly.

* * *

Christmas day went about the same as it usually did until we received a rather unexpected visit from Faddei halfway through opening presents. I was extremely glad that Albus, Lily, and I had remembered to send Helga something for Christmas as we each opened our very expensive gifts. Helga had sent something for each member of our family, and I fell completely in love with the soft beanie and the beautiful leather jacket that she had sent for me, and the book on flying she had also included looked completely amazing.

"Next Christmas, I think we ought to invite Helga to come spend the holidays with us!" Grandmum Weasley declared.

Looking around the room at the array of pricy, well thought out presents we each held, we all had to agree.

I spent the afternoon reading the book of _Flight_ that Ma'at had given me in Egypt. I had been reading bits and pieces of it since I had received it, but I had grown a bit afraid to really begin analyzing it. I was truly scared that I wouldn't be able to master the skill, and I knew that I would be crushed were that to happen.

* * *

A few days after Christmas I received another letter. As I removed it from the owl's leg, a chill went through my entire body.

I looked at the envelope, my brow furrowed in confusion. On the front of the letter was written:

 _To: Phoenix Potter_

 _From: Ari Chang_

Oh. The name brought back a rush of memories, and I tried desperately to keep my grip on the paper as my hands shook. Though knowing about the _Ker_ , understanding that they could be defeated, and the knowledge of what they were made me feel better about the entire thing, the memory of _that_ night still haunted me.

With a racing heart I broke the seal on the envelope. I tried desperately to calm down before I read the letter. After all, Chang and I had been friendly before he had graduated. He was a major Quidditch fan, always proud to let Jay and I know before our matches, and I knew he and Jay had kept in touch for a while after he left…

 _Dear Phoenix,_

 _Happy Holidays! I hope you're enjoying your time off from school, as well as your time with your loved ones._

 _I'm sure you haven't heard, as it's a very minor position, but I've been hired at the Ministry! It's been rather nice; I'm working in the Department of Magical Safety. It's interesting, the things you hear while on the job. Especially when you're no one of importance…_

 _I've heard you've been doing rather well in Quidditch! Congratulations to you, as well as the rest of the team. You've always had so much skill._

 _I'm beating around the bush. I would like to see you, to have a coffee some time. I'm not asking you out, I respect both you and Jay way too much for that. I'd just like to catch up. I know we weren't good friends in school, but I really need to talk to you about something important._

 _Come alone._

 _Ari Chang_

I felt absolutely ill. I knew that something very, very terrible would come out of my meeting with Chang. I could feel it in my gut.

And that was before I saw the postscript.

 _P.S. Remember who found you that night. There was a very powerful shield around you and one of those things, but it only kept me from getting in and helping you…_

 _I've been doing some research of my own, Phoenix. I know everything._

* * *

 **Several Updates:**

 **First, as you may have noticed (if you're on a computer, iPad, or any other device that displays covers) I've finally uploaded a cover image for this story and The Moments In Between.**

 **Secondly, as I'm trying to make the (long, I know…sorry) waits between chapters a bit more interesting, I've created a tumblr page! Some of the things on the page have nothing to do with my stories, but others will. I've already uploaded aesthetics for Phoenix and Teddy, and I'm rather proud of them. : ) I've got another couple ready to go, so I'll be posting one soon. My username is** IIOWAW **and I would absolutely love it if you could check out my page/give me a follow! Or, (since I've reblogged a fair amount of posts) you can just search the tag #thefallofthephoenix. That should pull up the posts I've made for this story.**

 **Third, my current poll is tied, and hardly anyone has voted on it. If you haven't already, please, please go vote! I would absolutely love to start doing polls with you lot, but they're not very much fun if hardly anyone votes.**

 **Lastly, I will be reposting my stories onto other sites, such as Wattpad and/or AO3. I won't be uploading anything new there though. : )**

laxgirl1415 **: Thank you so much for your reviews! Never apologize for leaving double reviews; they're absolutely the best. I'm so glad you're enjoying the stories! And you definitely don't have to thank me for including LGBTQIA characters! It's a perfectly normal thing in life to know LGBTQIA people, so I feel that it should be perfectly normal in a story as well. I'm glad you think I'm going a good job on my characterization and with Freddy and Phoenix's relationship! And I'm SO HAPPY you liked the scene with Jay and Phoenix! If you two are like them, then you and your boyfriend must be pretty adorable! Thank you again for reviewing!**

Nightwing918 **: I'm so happy you like my story! Thank you so much for your reviews, they really mean a lot to me! You're so encouraging and kind, like my own personal cheer section! Thank you!**

scrumptiousinternetllama **: Sarah! I'm so happy you liked Dom's letter and charm. I always try to put a lot of thought into them. Alice is so much fun to write. I feel like she's that unexpected child, who came from two rather mellow parents and is just full of spunk! And I'm actually really glad that Hastings came across as creepy-I've done my job well! I'm glad that Freddy and Phoenix don't come across as weird, incest-ish friends! And yes, Julie is so very bitter. Thank you so much for your review!**

HerondaleLover1 **: I'm so glad you enjoyed the chapter! McGonagall is the best! Hastings and Vane suck! My heart broke writing poor Freddy's scene. You're the best, thank you so much for your review!**

 **And thank you, you fabulous person, for reading, reviewing, favoriting, or following! Xx**


	23. Carefully

**Author's Note: I know I've been gone a long time. I apologize deeply for that.**

 **I do not own Harry Potter. If I did I would have written a book about Metamorphmaguses.**

* * *

 **Previously in The Fall of The Phoenix:**

 _ **Just Below The Surface:**_

 _Phoenix tells Fred; James is worried about Teddy; Dom tells Phoenix that Teddy and Vic are expecting; Freddy, Lily, and Phoenix research Nebetia; a statue at Slughorn's party causes pieces of Hastings's plot to come together for Phoenix; Dom doesn't come home for Christmas; and Phoenix gets a letter from Ari Chang telling her that he knows everything…_

* * *

 **Carefully**

* * *

It has always struck me as a bit funny, how bits and pieces of seemingly unconnected events can come together in ways that will make or break someone.

It was always the little things that lay in the back of the mind, all but forgotten. It was going through the motions, the offhand gestures or movements. Little things-puzzle pieces, if you will-that make up a bigger picture.

It's like gathering random shards of glass throughout your life, then one day waking up and realizing you've got the pieces to make a beautiful stained glass window. Just picking up the pieces of glass never meant anything, and with all of the different colors perhaps you didn't even think that they all came from the same place, but then you put them all together, and after that you're unable picture the window without every piece.

I didn't realize I was picking up pieces of glass. Sometimes I wonder if maybe they were actually being handed to me. After all, when you've conversed with gods and bargained with death, you realize that anything is possible.

* * *

I stood alone in Diagon Alley, trying to plan out my next move. I knew that I couldn't just waltz into a café and meet up with Chang. Rumors would surely run rampant, and then I would have to explain myself to my family and Jay.

I had come to Diagon under the guise of needing a book. My family hadn't been too keen on letting me go alone, but, much to my surprise, my Mum had been the one to give the okay.

I was now outside of the restaurant that Chang had just disappeared into. I wasn't so foolish to simply stand outside and stare while I made up my mind, so I had 'accidentally' dropped my money onto the ground. As I grabbed the last few galleons, I saw someone leave the restaurant.

"Mrs. Malfoy!" I greeted, a genuine smile growing on my face.

Mrs. Malfoy's gaze instantly snapped to mine, and she was quick to return my smile.

"Hello dear! What brings you to Diagon today?" She asked me.

"I was just looking for a few books," I responded.

"I'm assuming you found them?" She inquired, glancing down at the parcel I held in my left hand.

"One of the two," I shrugged.

I watched as her brow crinkled slightly, then she glanced over shoulder at the building she had just come out of.

"Would you care to join me for a drink Phoenix?" She asked me. "It's quite cold, and I'd love to hear about the books you're looking for."

I tried to keep my face polite as I accepted, but she had just completely solved my problem and I got an itching feeling that she may be able to help me in more ways than one.

"Phoenix!" I voice called as soon as we entered. I glanced up, settling for a look of pleasant surprise as I waved at Chang.

"A friend of yours?" Mrs. Malfoy questioned.

"Just an old schoolmate," I answered. She nodded, waving over the owner as we seated ourselves.

"Hello Madame Malfoy, Miss Potter," He greeted, bowing slightly. "What can I get for you two today?"

"Just tea for me please Patrick," She said with a polite smile. "Phoenix?"

"Tea sounds lovely," I agreed easily. She winked at me as Patrick left.

"A girl after my own heart. So may I ask you which books you came into the Alley for today?"

I carefully unwrapped my parcel, laying my purchase on the table between us. I was grateful that she had chosen a booth towards the back of the restaurant to seat us. I didn't know what to think of Chang, but I knew that I didn't want him to know all of my business.

" _Homer: Myth or Magic_ ," She read softly, giving me a very serious, searching look. "This is an interesting purchase."

"I've been researching mythology in my spare time since my trip to Egypt," I lied easily, "Egyptian myths turned into Greek myths somewhere along the way, I suppose."

This returned a soft smile to her face. "Mythology is fascinating, is it not? I've always had a fondness for it myself. You said you were here for two books though?"

"I was more inquiring after the second," I admitted. "It was something I had read as a child, but the manuscript I read no longer exists, so I was hoping to learn the location of another copy."

This caught her interest, and I watched as she only just stopped herself from leaning across the table towards me as Patrick brought our drinks. I casually slid my newly purchased tomb back into its wrappings as he served us.

"Thank you," We both dimpled at him in perfect sync.

"You're most welcome ladies! Let me know if I can get you anything else," He responded cheerfully, before bustling off to help someone else.

Mrs. Malfoy leaned towards me. "What book are you looking for Phoenix?"

" _Thanatos_ ," I told her, trying to keep my tone casual.

I watched her eyes widen slightly. There was a long pause as she sipped her tea, giving me a very measured look. I held her gaze.

At long last she spoke. "I'll do my best to find a copy for you. There are a great number of people I know who have very extensive home libraries. If I find it I'll owl you."

I nodded, grateful. "That would be wonderful. Thank you very much Mrs. Malfoy."

"Astoria will do dear. May I ask you one last question?"

"Of course."

"Who allowed you to read such a book as a girl?" She probed, one eyebrow arched.

"My aunt Hermione. She's not really one to tell anyone no when they're looking to learn something. Plus, with everything that she, my uncle, and my father went through as kids, I think sometimes things that she should forbid don't quite strike her as bad," I confessed.

She nodded, seeming satisfied with my honest answer. She reached again for her drink, and this time I followed suit. She changed the topic to school, suggesting a few techniques to help me study for my OWLs, and inquiring about Quidditch. Finally, when we had finished our tea and had reached a good stopping point in our conversation, we rose from the booth.

"I do hate to have to leave you here, but I'm afraid that I have to be back by lunch, and I still have errands to run," Mrs. Malfoy said apologetically. She paid for our drinks, ignoring my protests and waving my money away. "Don't be silly dear, I invited you in, of course I'll be paying."

"Thank you for the tea, it was really lovely seeing you again," I finally conceded.

"It was wonderful to speak with you," She agreed. "We'll have to have your family over for dinner sometime soon, my husband has been asking after you and your siblings, and Cassiopeia has been begging to hear of your adventures in Egypt."

I smiled at her, "That would be lovely."

She was just reaching for the door when Patrick ran up.

"Madame Malfoy wait! The press is outside in the Alley, I don't know why they're here, but they'll surely jump on the chance to pester the two of you if they see you."

She frowned. "Well, I only need to buy a few winter clothes and a new cauldron, so I'll go outside and lure them off if I can. Phoenix, why don't you stay here for a bit, sit with your friend over there, and once they leave I'm sure Patrick would be happy to escort you across the street to The Leaky Cauldron to use their floo."

Patrick nodded. "Of course Madame. So sorry for the inconvenience."

"It's not your fault," She told him kindly, "They can be rather persistent."

"Thank you," I told her gratefully.

"I'll owl you," She said with a touch of affection, cupping my chin for a moment before gesturing for me to step back and opening the door.

I could instantly hear the shouts of the press, and I was immensely relieved that I wasn't the one outside.

"Here miss, we'll seat you with Mr. Chang and I'll bring you something to eat, on the house," Patrick said, taking my by the elbow and leading me towards Chang's booth.

"Oh that won't necessary-" I objected, but he quickly cut me off, insisting. He left me standing a touch awkwardly before Chang.

"Hello Phoenix," He greeted with a grin. "Care to join me?"

"That would be lovely!" I forced myself to match his cheer.

"Here you are miss," Patrick's voice spoke from behind me, causing me to jump. I thanked him profusely for the stew he brought, again attempting to pay, but he ignored my coins and left with a promise to return when I was ready to leave.

"Would you like something?" I asked Chang, gesturing towards my bowl.

"No, I'm fine. We need to talk," He said curtly. I glanced around the room, but the only other occupants where three very rowdy men seated in the far side of the building.

"What exactly would you like to discuss?" I asked, trying for casual. I punctuated my attempt by eating a spoonful of stew while he responded.

"I've been doing research of my own on those creatures, and I've learned enough to know that you're definitely in danger. Those things weren't human Phoenix, and I don't think I would be mistaken to say that the magic they possess is pretty ancient."

I arched an eyebrow at him, nonchalantly stirring as I waited to see if he would add anything else. Internally I was completely panicking, but I was afraid of telling him anything he didn't already know. Chang had been a nice guy in school, but it had been awhile since I had spoken to him, and I wasn't about to trust him blindly.

"Look Phoenix. I don't know what those things are, but I know who created them. I know that you know as well. I read the article on you refusing to join his internship. I've been working inside the Ministry for a while now, and I've learned some things. You may not trust me, but I've decided to trust you. At the beginning of your first year at Hogwarts, Kingsley Shacklebolt went missing. I now know what happened to him. He is one of those _things_ Phoenix, and if you think I'm wrong, think of how powerful and dangerous an enemy he would be otherwise, both magically and politically. Think of how powerful an ally he'll make. You know I'm right."

He gave me a very pointed look, but I refused to respond even as I realized the truth in his words. He took in my silence, sighed, and continued speaking.

"Susan Bones was killed a few months later, on Halloween. This one gave me a pause for a while, because I couldn't figure out why he killed her rather than doing…whatever it was that he did to you. But then I learned that he didn't finish the spells that were used on you until long after she was dead. In fact, he kidnapped and tortured her because he thought that she might know about those spells. Apparently he got them from Egypt, and she was there shortly before he took her. When he found out that she knew nothing, he killed her. Now he's finished the spells, and he's making the most powerful people he can into his…creatures, or like you."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "And you know all of this…how?"

His eyes widened, "No, no, it's not what you're thinking. My department works closely with him, and my boss is definitely helping him out. I just overhear things."

I nodded slowly, not believing it in the slightest, but letting him that think I was. "Thank you for telling me Ari."

A look of relief flashed across his face. "Of course. I've been dying to tell you for ages, but I didn't want to put it into a letter."

I nodded, spooning a large bite of stew into my mouth.

Chang began to ramble about what working in the Ministry was like, while I ate as quickly as I could. When I had finished I carefully caught Patrick's eye, signaling him over beneath the table.

"Hello Miss Potter, Mr. Chang, I'm so sorry to interrupt. Miss, the reporters are gone, but I can't promise how long they'll stay away."

I plastered an apologetic look on my face. "I'm sorry Chang, but I probably ought to run. Thank you for the lovely chat."

"Just Ari is fine, and of course!" He said, standing quickly. "I'll walk you out if you'd like."

I opened my mouth to respond, but Patrick beat me to it.

"I've got her mate."

"I'll owl you then!" Chang offered.

"If you'd like," I allowed, awkwardly.

Patrick led me off, shaking his head as soon as we left the building. "Some blokes just can't take a hint, can they? Blimey, and I thought everyone knew about you and Oliver Wood's son."

"I did too," I said, trying to sound slightly bewildered. If he wanted to believe that I had asked him to help me leave because Chang had been making a move on me, I was happy to let him think that. Patrick had helped my mother fend off several want-to-be suitors in the past, and I knew that he kept such matters private.

"Here you are miss," He said, smiling at me as we entered the Cauldron.

"Thank you so much," I returned his grin, then quickly pressed a coin to his palm. I spoke hurriedly before he could object. "I insist, for all of your troubles."

He beamed at me, "Always happy to help young lady."

I waited until he left, then walked across the room towards the floo.

* * *

The owl from Dom came in the middle of the night.

I leapt out of bed and scrambled to open the window before anyone else was woken up. The owl seemed rather eager to leave after I had received the letter, so I sent it off to hunt in the garden before unrolling the parchment.

 _Annie,_

 _I'm so incredibly sorry for not explaining, for not coming to see you, and most of all for not having you come to me._

 _I fully, 150% planned on coming home for Christmas. For you and for Louis most of all, but also because I really miss everyone. Mick's parents are absolutely wonderful, really, and we all get along fantastically. His mum works in the most fantastic dress shop and his dad is involved in foreign magical affairs, so there's never a shortage in things to talk about, and Mick told me on our first night here that they seemed to adore me…but there's no place like home. Mick was even going to floo over with me, as he wanted to meet you all._

 _But here's the thing. About a week before Christmas we were all sitting around drinking eggnog when Mick's father got a very odd expression on his face. He turned a funny color, and then he collapsed._

 _They have no idea what's wrong with him Phoenix. We took him straight to the hospital and they've been running tests on him ever since. He's in a coma though, and they don't think he'll be coming out of it any time soon. Mick is understandably distraught, and I couldn't bear to leave him. I'm so sorry, please tell everyone how sorry I am._

 _I love you so very much, and I hope you can forgive me._

 _Dom_

 _P.S. Mick picked the charm out when we first arrived. We planned on giving it to you together, in person rather than with a letter._

I sighed, turning the little memento around in my hand. It was a genuine four-leaf clover, and I knew that Mick had probably been eager to be a part of something that Dom and I share.

I took my time with my response, telling Dom that of course we all forgave her, and writing a separate letter to Mick letting him know that I was thinking of him.

After I called the owl back in and sent the notes off I decided to make my way to the roof. I knew that there was no way I would be falling asleep again after what I had just read.

* * *

I was startled to find that the roof was already occupied.

"Teddy," I gasped, surprised.

He seemed equally as shocked to see me, but he also seemed very pleased. He slid over in our spot, gesturing for me to sit next to him. As soon as I did so he wrapped his arm around me, and I set my head on his shoulder.

"I'm glad to see you," He said simply.

I glanced at him, curious.

"Vic and I are expecting," He cut to the chase.

"Dom told me," I admitted.

He nodded. "I figured she would. I wanted Vic to wait and tell her later for that reason, but she was so excited that I couldn't deny her the opportunity. I still wanted to tell you one-on-one though. That's why I didn't announce it at Christmas, because I wanted to tell you first, and you seemed so stressed out that I didn't think it was the right time before. I hope you're not mad, I really did try to tell Vic that she should wait so that I could tell you before Dom did. And I didn't want to do it over a letter, you're my sister and you deserve more than that. Not that I fault Victoire-she didn't have choice, but I just meant-"

I smiled at his characteristic rambling, cutting him off, "I'm so happy for you Ted." At this, his face broke out in a brilliant smile. "Although you two are certainly going to have your hands full."

I watched his brow furrow.

"What do you mean?"

I grinned playfully, "Your child is going to be part Veela, part werewolf, part Metamorphmagus, part Marauder, and part Weasley. Good luck with that one."

He laughed, playing along. "Oh no! Do you think it's too late to cancel?"

I snorted. "Cancel your baby? Yeah, I'd think so."

His laugh turned into a beam. "Good. I want this baby with Victoire more than I've ever wanted anything."

I smiled so hard I thought my face would split in two. "I'm so, so happy for you Ted."

He pressed a kiss into my hair, and we both stared at the stars, grins resting on our faces.

* * *

"So what are you looking forward to this year James?" Grandmum Weasley asked cheerfully.

James grinned, tipping his champagne at her as he spoke, "Making Coleen my girlfriend."

Everyone groaned at his typical response, but I found myself having to suppress a smile as I thought of the camera he had sent her for Yule.

"How about you Ted?" Mum asked. "What do you and Vic have planned for the New Year?"

Teddy shrugged casually. "Oh you know, I'm becoming a full-fledged auror, Vic and I will celebrate our one year anniversary, I'm becoming a father, the trip Vic and I have planned for Fiji…"

There were several shouts, then a stunned silence.

Victoire grinned, clearly enjoying herself. "What? We told you all that we were going. And we'll only be gone for a week…"

Aunt Fleur was the one who finally broke the silence, letting out a loud squeal before flinging her arms around them both. Instantly the room was filled with calls of congratulations and guesses on the gender.

I winked as Victoire and I made eye contact.

" _Congratulations_ ," I mouthed.

She beamed at me, standing up and moving across the room towards me. Teddy followed, talking and laughing to various family members as he did so.

Vic sat down, grabbing my hands in hers.

"I'm so happy for you two!" I exclaimed.

"Thank you so much Annette," She matched my enthusiasm. She glanced up at Teddy as he finally arrived next to us, and he nodded at her. "We were wondering if you would be the godmother?" She blurted out, looking slightly hopeful, and slightly scared that I would refuse.

I felt my jaw drop, and there were several claps from around the room. "Me?"

She nodded eagerly. "You helped me so much before the wedding, and I know that you and Teddy are so close. Plus you really helped me and Dom with everything…" She was clearly reluctant to expand further, so I nodded at her, letting her know that I understood. "You're one our closest female friends, and we know you're younger than us, but we really think you're the right person; you're the first person we both thought of."

I grinned at her. "I would be honored."

Everyone cheered again.

"I guess that answers the question of what I'm looking forward to this year," I laughed.

There were chuckles and sounds of agreement.

Vic and Teddy were still beaming at me, and I was happy to return the gesture. Vic continued to keep one hand on mine even as we counted down to midnight, and though it should have been awkward, I sort of understood. I knew that I probably hadn't been the first person she had thought of to be her child's godmother, but also I knew that her first choice never would have accepted. So Vic squeezed my hand as she and Teddy pecked each other on the lips for New Year's, and I gripped hers back even as Jay and I did the same.

* * *

 **I've closed the last poll. The shorter chapters/shorter updates option won, so that's what I'll try to write from now on. I'll be updating again soon.**

Nightwing918 **: Thank you so much for your review last chapter! Hopefully this new chapter answered all of your questions. Thank you for your support!**

scrumptiousinternetllama **: I'm so glad you liked last chapter! Sorry for leaving you in suspense for so long, but hopefully you can forgive me! : )Thank you as always for your support and love!**

HerondaleLover1 **: Fred is definitely bae; he's the sweetest bad-boy prankster that you'll ever meet! I'm glad the flow of the story is good!**

Guest **: I laughed writing the Oliver pun! I'm glad you enjoyed : )**

Guest **: Dom and Mick are so much fun to write. It's interesting trying to create a character entirely through letters though! I'm glad he comes across well : )**

 **As always, thank you all for reading, reviewing, favoriting, and following!**


	24. The Hard Stuff

**Author's Note: I don't own Harry Potter. If I did Dean and Seamus would have dated.**

* * *

 **The Hard Stuff**

* * *

"Phoenix."

I glanced up from the textbook I was reading, fully prepared to endure yet another interruption from my studying. I was relieved to see that it was just Mum, Aunt Fleur, and Aunt Hermione, for I knew that, if they were bothering me, at least it would be something important.

I had woken up the morning after our New Year's celebrations and realized, in a complete panic, that my OWLs were approaching rapidly. The rest of the family had grumbled and groaned when they realized that I had gone into panic mode, but they had learned after my Charms OWL last year that it was best to just let me be.

"We're sorry to bother you mon chère," My Godmother began, "But we all had a few things we wanted to ask you about and we wanted to catch you before you went back off to school."

I smiled at them, glancing at the page number before closing my book. "No, that's fine. I needed a break anyways."

I slid into the back corner of the bed that I had been sitting on, carefully pulling Circe along with me despite her loud protests, and they all joined me without hesitating. Aunt Hermione sat on the edge of the bed, while Aunt Fleur moved to sit next to me, her feet crossed neatly in Aunt 'Mione's lap. She immediately gave Aunt Fleur a mock glare and mimed shoving her feet off. I giggled as the French woman pretended to be offended. My Mum, meanwhile, had climbed onto the end of the bed, where she leaned her head against the wall and smiled softly at me.

"I wanted to give you this," My Aunt Hermione began, holding a booklet out to me. "It's a study planner, for your OWLs. I gave them to your father and uncle back when we were in Hogwarts and I'm fairly certain they were used as fuel for the fire in the Common Room. But I found mine extremely useful, and I think you may as well. When I took my OWLs I absolutely filled it, but when I went back to take my NEWTs I actually used it to make sure I didn't overwork myself. I, believe it or not, found my NEWTs were easier to take than my OWLs-purely because I was better rested, and I was in a good mindset to take them. The planner is charmed so that it won't let you over study. Give it a try love."

I thanked her, flipping through the leaflet with a slight smile. She brushed a hand over my hair, dumped Aunt Fleur's feet from where she had replaced them on her lap with a smirk, and made her way out of the room. She closed the door behind her.

I met my mother's eyes for a long moment. Then my Aunt's hand brushed my hair, and I turned to look at her.

"What we're asking you to do is going to be hard for you," She said simply. I frowned at her.

"We want you to apologize to George for the things that you said to him," My mother told me.

"No."

"Annie-"

"I said no," I ground out, setting my jaw and folding my arms. Circe batted my Mum's hand away as she reached for my hand.

I watched my mother, waiting for her to mimic my posture, for I knew that this would surely end in a fiery argument…but she simply passed a hand over her eyes. She looked tired, and it was enough to make my pose sag in defeat.

"Fred and George were…they were inseparable. I know we say that all the time, we talk about they were each other's halves, but I don't think you understand. After Fred died, George was inconsolable. He didn't eat, sleep, or speak. It went on for weeks. The only reason he didn't starve to death was because my mum-your grandmother-would get down on her knees and beg him to eat a meal here or there. I was the one who finally snapped. I woke up in the middle of the night and went down for a glass of water. He was just sitting there, gazing at a wall, just a blank wall. I lost it."

My mother had tears running down her face, as did my Aunt. I was barely fighting them off. Circe had stood from her place in my lap and was now making her way between the three of us, her arched back letting on how concerned she was.

"I screamed at him, so loudly that the whole house should have come running, but I guess he cast a _Muffliato_ because no one else heard. When I was finished he looked me in the eyes and said, 'I have been one half of a whole for so long. Now I'm half gone and I don't know how to cope with that. I don't know how to look in the mirror when all I can see is him.' Then he broke down and he cried. He dyed his hair brown for a while. He started seeing Angelina, and things got better. But then they had Freddy and Rox, and everything was wonderful, he was the most doting father you could imagine. Then they started getting older, and Fred pulled his first prank. After that, George had a hard time distinguishing between son and brother. And I know that's no excuse. George knows that too. But he's trying love, and this is so hard on him."

"It's hard on Freddy too!" I defended loyally.

"Yes Annie, and we all know that. But what you said hurt your uncle, and you need to apologize," Aunt Fleur said firmly.

"I-" I began, fully prepared to be stubborn, but a voice from the doorway cut me off.

"Nix," My best friend said. I fell silent as he crossed the room, lifting my feet to sit under them on my bed. "I appreciate what you did for me. I do. And I would ask you to do it again in a heartbeat. But instead I'm going to ask you to do something even more selfish. I need you to apologize to my dad."

I frowned. "That's not fair Fred. I got angry with him because of you, and I'm not sorry about it. He needed to be set straight, I'm not going to apologize for that."

He smiled a bit. "Stubborn. Don't you see though? You set him straight. He's trying now more than ever. He called me into his room earlier and talked things out. I wouldn't ask you to apologize if it were anyone else. But he's hurting, and sometimes we have to swallow our pride and apologize-even if we don't mean it-to take pain away from people we love. He's family Nix."

I sighed. "Fine."

They all opened their mouths, but I didn't want to hear it. I knew that they were right, but I was still irritated that Freddy was asking me to apologize when he had been the one to ask me to be angry in the first place. I did feel guilty that I had hurt my uncle, however, so I knew my apology would probably wind up being more genuine than I had led them to believe.

"Grandmother?" I asked as I entered the kitchen.

"Yes dear?"

"Do you know where Uncle George is?"

"He's out de-gnoming the garden for me."

I thanked her, crossing the house and exiting through the back door. I was rather amused to find my uncle sitting on a bench, not a gnome in sight.

"Aren't you supposed to be ridding us of gnomes?" I asked.

He smiled slightly. "I finished 15 minutes ago. I've invented a device that spins smoke that rids the garden of gnomes for a year, but she still believes that the old-fashioned way is the only way that works, so I'll sit out here for a while longer to give her peace of mind. I felt like a right tosser, booting all those gnomes out in the middle of winter though."

I laughed despite myself, and that seemed to be what he was looking for.

"Come sit," He invited. I took him up on his offer, trudging through the snow to join him on the bench.

We sat in silence for several minutes, until I finally figured out what I wanted to say.

"I wanted to apologize for what I said about Freddy. It's not that I didn't mean it, and it's not that it wasn't true. But I told you those things cruelly, with the intent of making you feel part of what you made Fred feel, and I am sorry for that. It wasn't my place to lecture you, and I did it in a way that was utterly malicious. I hope that you can forgive me for that."

I knew it probably wasn't the apology that anyone else had been hoping I would deliver, but it was the best I could give. Despite how much I cared for my family, I believed every word I had said to my Uncle over the summer, and I refused to back down from that.

He smiled. "I forgave you as soon as the words were spoken. I will admit that what you said to me hurt, but it was the kick that I needed for fix my relationship with my son before it was broken forever. You are forgiven."

I nodded, then, hesitating for just a moment, surged forward to give him a hug. We both glanced up at a shutter sound, and saw Freddy standing in the doorway with an old camera.

His face lit up as his dad waved him over. I laughed as he sprinted (as best as he could with the snow) straight for me and leapt on me so hard we would have fallen off the bench if it weren't for the hand on my back. I smiled at my uncle in thanks, but he was far to busy laughing to notice. The grin on Freddy's face as his dad finally took notice of his antics was-in my mind-priceless.

We sat out in the garden and described some of our better pranks to a very impressed Uncle George. It wasn't completely perfect; he excused himself after a while and was, though he tried to hide it, still hurting as Fred relayed prank after prank. Still, he was trying, and I knew that meant the world to Fred.

After he left, Fred hugged me. "Thank you Nix."

I shook my head. "I didn't give him the apology you wanted. I'm not sorry for what I said. But I am sorry for how I said it."

He nodded. "That's enough for me."

* * *

"Love?"

I glanced up to see my mum.

"I apologized," I told her.

"I know, and I thank you for that. I just wanted to say though…if you ever need anyone to talk to about anything, I'm here."

"Thanks Mum. I appreciate that," I said, offering her a smile before turning back to my book.

"I know I'm no Harry Potter, but I was possessed by Tom for my entire first year…just know you don't have to do everything alone," She said casually.

I froze, before whipping my head up to stare at her in shock.

But she had already gone, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

* * *

I woke up late one evening and realized that I had to go. I was itching to get up and move. All of the studying I had been doing lately had made me stir crazy, and I could hardly sleep with the thoughts that were running through my head.

There was a floorboard outside of the room that my parents always slept in that, should Ted, James, Al, Lily or I step on it, woke my mum up. I hadn't the foggiest how she always knew, but it had worked for as long as I could remember. When we were younger, she used it to catch us sneaking down to the kitchens, or outside. Now we used it when we needed her for something and we didn't want to wake anyone else up.

I stepped on the floorboard, and a few moments later my mum exited the room, her wand in hand.

"Hey baby," She whispered sleepily.

"Hi Mum." I smiled at the mop of hair that was hanging down in her face. "Is it okay if I go for a fly? I won't go far, just out towards the old apple orchard. I can't sleep and I've been going mad to go out."

I could tell she was thinking about it. "I want to let you, but, as good of a flyer as I know you are, I don't know that I want you going out on a broom right now. Especially if you haven't been sleeping."

I decided there and then to tell my mother one of my secrets. "When we were in Egypt Luna bought me a flying carpet. I know they're not legal here, but mine comes with all sorts of anti-muggle and invisibility charms."

I watched a smile bloom across my mother's face. "As long as you promise to take me out on it sometime, you may go."

I grinned, babbling out a joyful, "Thanks Mum!" Before turning to go.

"Phoe," She whispered after me. I turned to face her again. "Thank you for checking with me before leaving. And for telling me about your carpet."

"Of course Mum."

I decided to leave from the roof. Vic had told me over breakfast that she hadn't been sleeping well the past few nights, so I knew Ted would be with her tonight, and I would have the roof to myself.

* * *

 **This fic will NOT BE ABANDONED. That being said:**

 **As some of you may know, this is my first fanfiction. As such, writing it has been a learning experience. I am completely in love with this story, but I have no motivation to finish it.**

 **Don't be upset yet.**

 **I have no motivation to finish is because, when I began this fiction, I made the mistake of deciding to write it as I went. This was a mistake simply because I didn't plan it out in the slightest. Now, reading through the story, I realize how many loose ends I have. There are so many things that I wrote into this story, planning wonderful things for, only to forget about them. Now it's too late in the story to tie them back in without ruining it all.**

 **In order to finish this story, I need to take the time to re-write and plan this story better. I love it so much that I want to do it justice, and I can't do that without restructuring and writing.**

 **I will update and finish this story in the future, but it may be a while.**

 **Thank you as always for the support. TFOTP is officially on hiatus until further notice.**


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